


Of Kings and Laborers

by Elisha_Boltagon, steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeb



Series: Blue [3]
Category: Inhumans (Comics)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2019-01-09 20:48:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12284157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elisha_Boltagon/pseuds/Elisha_Boltagon, https://archiveofourown.org/users/steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeb/pseuds/steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeb
Summary: After a year of punishment in New Attilan, Maximus is saner than he has ever been, and trying to find happiness and build a new life, free of the mistakes of his past. Unfortunately, his family don't believe in his reformation, and won't let him go that easily... And other troubles await back home. Sequel to The Annals of the House of Boltagon.





	1. Chapter 1

Max wiped his hands on a rag, cleaning them of oil, as he straightened, looking proudly at the new engine he'd designed and installed in the tractor. He grinned at Dan, the farm owner and his employer of the past three months. "There you go. It'll run beautifully now, and shouldn't need half as much fuel as it used to. You'll get double the work done."

Dan shook his head in amazement. "I don't know how you come up with this stuff, Max. You're a genius, y'know that?" He paused, watching Max intently. "Brain like yours, you could work anywhere. Why'd you pick the middle of Minnesota, on a farm?"

Max shrugged. "It seemed like a nice quiet place. And I've had enough of city life." _And the damage I always did, trying to be with my family_.

Dan shook his head again. "Go on. Get. You earned the rest of the day off, saving me from replacing this old beast." He thumped the side of the tractor. "Go spend some time with your girl."

Max reddened at the mention of Mara, mumbled his thanks and left quickly. As he headed home, his mind drifted, and once again, he marvelled at the luck that had brought Mara into his life...

They'd been architects and builders on New Attilan together. Unlike him, however, Mara had volunteered to help with the building, as she had been determined to repay the Inhumans for their help in controlling her ability to shape stone. She was from England, and thus knew very little about Attilan, and none of Maximus' history, so she was the first of his co-workers to reach out to him, and, as the medicine took effect, and he could think clearly, he was grateful for her friendship. Eventually, he told her about his past, and as he did so, with the benefit of lucid thought, he'd been horrified. Had he _really_  done those things, been that out of control? He'd hurt so many people... It felt as if someone else had been responsible, like re-living someone else's life, and it dawned on him that a lot of it could have been avoided if he'd just accepted medication earlier.

He hated himself. As much as the rest of his family must hate him. Mara had helped him through the guilt and depression, and as the months passed, their friendship became more. It blossomed into a romantic relationship, and as Maximus' year of work on New Attilan drew to an end, Mara had suggested they start afresh, somewhere new. Set up a new life, then go and make amends with his family when he felt ready to do so. It sounded like heaven to Maximus, so that's what they had done.

Slipping from New Attilan, they'd travelled for a while, sleeping in motels, wrapped in each others' arms. Maximus felt love, true love, for the first time, and relished it. He didn't feel any desire to amass power or wealth any longer. He would be happy as long as he had Mara. He even began taking the medicine in tablet form, not wanting to lose himself again.

Using the false name Max Johnson (about one in 70 people seemed to have that surname here in Minnesota), he had found this job as a mechanic on Dan's farm, while Mara helped with the livestock, as she'd done as a child, on her parents' farm in England. They lived in a small house, a cottage really, several acres from the main farm. It had four rooms- bedroom, kitchen, living room, bathroom, was absolutely tiny, and Maximus loved it. He laughed at himself as he approached his home. Only a few months ago, he would have sneered at this place. Now he was happier than he'd ever been. No politics, no Council, no brother, no father, no pressure. He inhaled deeply, enjoying the fresh air, before heading round back, to their small garden, where Mara often was at this time in the day.

He greeted her with a soft kiss, but pulled back slightly when she didn't reciprocate, or smile at him as she normally did. He tensed instinctively.

"Mara? You alright?"

She nodded, seeming distracted. Max noticed that she was paler than normal, and took a step closer. "Are you ill?"

Mara twisted her hands. "No, it's just... we've had a visitor."

Max's heart skipped a beat. They didn't _have_  visitors out here, they didn't know anyone! "Who?" A ball of dread formed in his stomach. He had a horrible sense of foreboding that his idyllic life was about to be shattered...

"Me." Footsteps sounded from inside the cottage, and a familiar blonde woman joined them in the garden, smiling while looking wary. Lockjaw stomped out after her. "You've worried a lot of people, Maximus, vanishing like that."

 _Worried? More like they think I'm up to no good again..._  Max sighed, shoulders slumping. "So they sent you to check up on me, little cousin?"

Crystal shook her head, glancing uneasily at Mara, before looking back at Max. "No. My orders are to take you back home."

Max froze, not even breathing. Home? _This_  was his home now! His family couldn't _want_  him back... He clenched his fists, meeting Crystal's gaze. "You... you can't. I've made a home here now. I don't intend to leave." He held his cousin's gaze, trying to will her to understand, his expression pleading. He _couldn't_  go back to his old life- he'd ruined it beyond repair, alienated his entire family, and all he wanted now was to be left in peace...

Yet, deep down, he had a sinking feeling it wouldn't be that easy.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

"No, daddy, that mine.”

Black Bolt flipped the small towel he held over and shook his head, somewhat exasperated. Recently the twins became...territorial, for lack of a better word, and threw fits whenever their toys or clothes were mixed up. This expanded into specific cups, plates, and bath towels, as if learning to say “mine” became something of a competition. For some reason they even divided cloth napkins, although the only difference between the napkins Anora and Daryn used were the colors. In a week they’d demand to switch, either way.

He dropped the napkin in front of Anora and sat down at the table himself, the first he’d been able to sit all day. After working the bar until last call, he went to bed around five that morning and awoke again an hour and a half later when the twins wandered into the bedroom to find Mommy and Daddy. Ever since the cribs were replaced with toddler beds, Black Bolt whole-heartedly regretted the decision. Even during breakfast he remained standing, primarily to keep himself awake. After breakfast there were deliveries to accept and sign for, a meeting with his kitchen staff about menu substitutions, then their oldest son, Ahura, got into trouble for being defiant when Medusa requested Ahura put down his phone. Not enough hours in the day to deal with his various responsibilities, and if Black Bolt were totally honest with himself, being a king was far easier than raising a family.

The twins, closing in on their 21st month, resembled toddlers far older, closer to a 3-year-old human. They could repeat almost any word requested, spoke in clunky sentences, and could waddle fast enough to look like a run. Their personalities could not be any more different, however. Anora, practically fearless, was head-strong and demanding at times while Daryn startled easily and needed to be snuggled every night before he considered sleeping.

As Ahura sat down and pulled his chair closer to the table, Anora looked at Medusa. “Hura eat, mommy? What he eats?”

“Ask him,” Medusa grinned, using a lock of her hair to dab around Anora’s mouth. For supper she'd made pasta, vegetables and tomato sauce, which guaranteed the twins getting messy since they still alternated between using utensils and picking at things with their hands.

She was still not sure if they understood their older brother could not hear them, but the twins did sign as best they could. Their signing skills paralleled their speaking skills, though the more complicated signs (or signs that required spelling) were beyond their dexterity at the moment. Daryn appeared to understand more of what Ahura signed than Anora, but Anora was the more expressive of the two.

Anora turned in her booster seat so she was facing Ahura. “ _Eat? What eat?_ ”

“ _Same,_ ” Ahura signed back, tilting his plate so Anora could see they were eating the same food. “ _You’re gonna be messy, aren’t you?_ ”

Anora shook her head with some exaggeration, a big smile on her face. “ _No, Hura messy._ ”

“ _You’re gonna be messy; tell her, D._ ”

“ _Nora messy,_ ” Daryn signed as he kicked his feet, a zucchini cube squished in one hand and tomato sauce now covering much of his chin. Truthfully Daryn was the messier eater of the two; yesterday he managed to get yogurt in his hair while Medusa’s back was turned. “Mommy? We go see Lockjaw?”

“Not today, baby, Lockjaw is at home with Aunt Crystal.”

Daryn stuck his bottom lip out to pout. “But I want we see Lockjaw. We don’t see Lockjaw then he forget we live here.”

Medusa tried her hardest not to laugh, since Daryn seemed legitimately concerned Lockjaw would forget where they lived.

“Lockjaw knows where we live, baby, don’t worry. Maybe tomorrow we can visit New Attilan and see him.”

The answer appeared to satisfy the little boy, and he returned to munching on his zucchini cube. The twins losing their baby faces and baby antics broke Medusa’s heart, a bittersweet reminder that her babies were growing faster than she wanted them to do so. She envied human mothers in this regard; Inhuman children grew so fast compared to humans then seemingly stopped growing in their teenage years, whereas human children grew slowly but aged out of adolescence quickly. Medusa would prefer that her babies were small for longer, but it was also fun watching them grow and make discoveries. When Ahura was their age, he was still getting used to living with his mother and father again after being taken by the Council after his birth, so Medusa was more worried about just showing her son she loved him than some of his milestones. He was so delayed compared to the twins; where the twins could speak in near-complete sentences, Ahura had a vocabulary of about twenty words at their age. After the accident in which he lost his hearing, he also lost most of the words he'd learned. The only words he said regularly were ‘mama’ and ‘no.’

Black Bolt yawned into the back of his hand, prompting both twins to ask him multiple questions about being tired (You sleepy, Daddy? Daddy do you go to bed? Mommy, Daddy’s sleepy). The twins narrating everyone’s lives was something Black Bolt had to learn to tolerate; trying to get any work done with Anora and Daryn asking him a thousand questions about it was nearly impossible. They wanted to know everything Black Bolt did, and had no qualms about intruding into Black Bolt and Medusa’s personal lives. Ever since they figured out how to open doorknobs, any attempt to bathe privately was futile. Luckily they had not wandered into Black Bolt and Medusa’s bedroom while the two were being intimate.

Eating dinner was not a quiet affair between the twins talking incessantly and Medusa answering them, or Ahura vocalizing as he signed. Agon still cringed whenever Ahura did so in his presence, an obvious reminder of his grandson’s difference. When they were in public and Ahura grunted or used his voice, humans often stared at them. Ahura typically made more noise than he realized and more than once Medusa had to remind him to be quiet as the babies napped.

“ _Ma, if we go to New Attilan tomorrow, can I see Irelle?_ ” Ahura still blushed whenever he asked about Irelle, though they’d been dating for more than a year at this point. Both were adults in the eyes of the humans, but to Inhumans they were still children. Since Irelle lived with the Nuhuman Frank, and Ahura spent much of his life with humans, they were in something of an odd place developmentally. They _felt_ like adults, most of the time, but had the same restrictions as Inhuman teens. Frank tried giving Irelle “The Talk” at one point but learned quickly that education regarding sex was taught at a young age for Inhumans. He asked that they at least wait until Irelle was 18 years old, and they had honored his request.

The actual act of sex was something Ahura and Irelle were still figuring out. They discussed their physical relationship heavily before engaging in anything, and it took them about six months before they finally had sex. They explored each other for a long while, and when Irelle expressed that she felt ready to go further they met with Vinatos first for contraception. Even after Vinatos gave Ahura the shot, they waited a few days. Their first time was awkward and lasted all of five minutes, but after the initial embarrassment of being naked with another person wore off they learned to enjoy each other. They still did not want Frank or Black Bolt and Medusa to know, however. Frank said he’d kill Ahura if he found out they did more than kiss, and Ahura was just now starting to realize it was a joke.

Halfway through dinner, after Medusa scolded Daryn for purposefully dropping food onto the floor and then Anora for trying to copy her brother, a knock came from the front door. Black Bolt stood to answer it, motioning for the twins to sit still when they tried to climb out of their booster seats and follow him like red-headed ducklings. Agon stood in the foyer with his arms behind his back, a habit left over from being king. “Son, I must speak with you.”

Black Bolt closed the door behind him, though Agon smiled at the twins’ comments on him doing so. Agon could see the tiredness in his son’s eyes; after they finished discussing what Agon needed to say, he would offer to take the twins for some time so Black Bolt could rest.

“Crystalia located your brother,” Agon began, his face hardening. “He was living on a farm with a Nuhuman in Minnesota, of all places.”

Black Bolt nodded and furrowed his eyebrows. Maximus did strange things, but this behavior was beyond his usual repertoire and Black Bolt wondered what Maximus was planning. He formed his lips so Agon could somewhat read them. _Who?_

“The Nuhuman? A laborer, supposedly they met during his sentence. What is your plan for when he returns?”

Black Bolt shrugged. He did not want to make any decisions until he saw Maximus in person and clarified his intent for moving so far away. Black Bolt was with Agon when they unlocked his tracking bracelet and medication dispenser, and Maximus appeared...almost pleasant, actually, as if this were the first time Maximus saw his brother without the veil of madness cluttering his thoughts. If Black Bolt thought about it, that probably _was_ the first time they met without Maximus being in the throes of a manic episode.

Agon was quiet for a moment as he considered what to do, until he heard tiny slaps on the other side of the door. The knob wriggled somewhat, meaning one of the twins was trying to turn it from the other side. Neither were tall enough to reach the doorknobs without something to stand on but they understood how to work them. Slowly Black Bolt turned the knob enough to allow the door to crack and Anora pulled the door open the rest of the way. Both twins stood in the doorway.

“Grandpa!” Anora squealed. “Mommy, Grandpa here!”

Daryn immediately walked into the foyer with his arms raised, asking Agon to lift him. Agon did so but not without effort; they were getting too tall and heavy for him to pick up these days, though he did not mind them sitting on his lap or cuddling up next to him. “Blackagar, let me relieve you of them for a while. I can see you need rest.”

Agon didn’t need to tell him twice. Black Bolt nodded and ushered them back inside, locking the door where the twins could not reach and escape. Medusa nearly had a panic attack the previous week when Daryn figured out he could open the door if he dragged a chair nearby, so since then they made sure to also do the latch anytime they were home. Anora was yet to figure out how to open the door using her powers, but Black Bolt planned to install an alarm system within the coming days that would alert them if the door opened while enabled.

Medusa and Ahura waved to Agon and continued their discussion since the twins were occupied. They immediately wanted to show Agon various toys, at least until they realized Black Bolt was going into Mommy and Daddy’s room. Anora waddled after him, climbing onto the bed as Black Bolt removed his shirt. “Daddy, you go to sleep? You sleep here? I sleep here with Daddy but Hura sleep his room.” She playfully fell on her side as if falling asleep, peeking at Black Bolt for his response.

Black Bolt could listen to his children logic through the world for hours if he were not exhausted. He smiled and plopped himself on the bed next to her, tugging her head closer to his so he could kiss her forehead. Her fiery orange hair was finally long enough to tuck behind her ears and Medusa often used headbands and bows to keep it out of her face.

“Grandpa sleep here too?”

Black Bolt shook his head.

“Mommy sleep here. Sometimes Daryn sleep here but today he sleep in our room with La-La.”

The way she pronounced Daryn (“Day-win”) always made Black Bolt mentally laugh. He had to admit, his children knew how to play the cute card. Eventually Daryn wandered in before Agon could stop him and climbed onto the bed as well with Agon shuffling in behind him.

“Anora and Daryn, let your father alone for now, he needs rest.” Daryn clambered to the head of the bed to sit next to his sister, tugging the thin bedsheet upward so it blocked Agon from their view. They giggled to each other, fully believing that Agon had no idea where they went despite the toddler-shaped lumps taking up much of the bed. Agon played along. “Blackagar, have you seen Anora and Daryn? They were just in here.”

The twins giggled to themselves and hunkered down further into the sheets. “Daddy, Grandpa don’t find us,” Daryn whispered.

Black Bolt shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, waiting to see what the kids would do. Every few seconds one of them peeked over the sheet and quickly pulled it back up again.

“Hmm, I guess Lockjaw must have teleported them away, I don’t see them.” At hearing Lockjaw’s name, Daryn popped his head out of the sheet and looked around. Agon took the opportunity to tug the sheet away fully. “There they are, I found them! Come on, say good night to your father.”

The twins took turns giving Black Bolt a kiss before leaving him to undress and snooze for a few hours before he needed to reopen the bar. Most likely they would be asleep when Black Bolt woke again. Back in the living room they occupied themselves with blocks as Medusa and Ahura cleaned up from dinner.

Ahura stretched himself out on the sofa after clearing the table, digging his phone from his pocket. He wanted to text Irelle and let her know they were planning a trip to New Attilan the next day. As he sent his first message, Agon tapped his foot.

“ _How is your woman?_ ” Agon smirked at his grandson as Ahura rolled his eyes. He knew Agon was being facetious but it was no less embarrassing.

“ _Fine, grandpa. I asked if she wanted to have lunch tomorrow._ ”

 _”Have you met with the Council about marrying her yet?_ ”

Ahura looked as if he wanted to die in that moment. He covered his face with both hands to hide his red face. Medusa gave Agon a bemused look, gently scolding her father-in-law for embarrassing Ahura. Since Ahura was focused on his phone, Agon spoke verbally.

“Oh, Medusalith, I meant to tell you. Your sister located Maximus and is bringing him back to New Attilan. She has certainly grown up, hasn’t she? Last I saw her before I was captured she was, oh, this tall?” Agon held his hand about chest-high, not noticing the face Medusa made at the mention of Maximus.

A little over a year ago Maximus kidnapped Daryn, though Maximus would claim he was merely trying to give Daryn a better life. Anora’s power manifested sooner than Daryn’s, and in Maximus’ mind that meant Black Bolt and Medusa would ignore Daryn in favor of her. For three days Maximus held Daryn in his apartment and was only found thanks to Norm and Verna, Ahura’s Earth-parents, contacting New Attilan to ask of Medusa had a baby recently and to say their neighbor had a red-headed infant that looked like her. In a matter of hours, Medusa held her baby boy in her arms again.

For some time afterward Medusa refused to let the twins out of her sight and became nervous any time someone other than herself or Black Bolt held them. She worried less when Maximus was being tracked and made to work as an architect for New Attilan, but as soon as his sentence ended she returned to micromanaging the twins for about a week.

But then Maximus disappeared, and she honestly couldn't care less. She could have easily choked Maximus to death in his apartment if Black Bolt did not stop her by bringing her baby to her. Maximus certainly turned purple enough. And Medusa would do so again if Maximus came anywhere near her children.

“He can rot in the catacombs of New Attilan for the rest of his life,” she whispered, pure acid in her voice. Agon did not seem phased.

“I can understand why you would feel that way. He lives only because of your husband.”

“Trust me, I’ve tried to convince Black Bolt to lock him away for good. If you know how to convince him, by all means do so.”

Agon barely grinned. “You’re asking me to convince a Boltagon to change his mind.”

Medusa shrugged, wiping down the table with a damp cloth. Ever since she and Ahura moved into the apartment, she dedicated much of her time to learning how to run a household. As queen she had no reason to do so since their lives were so scheduled and attendants helped her. In Old Attilan she would never be seen cleaning a kitchen or sorting laundry. There were a few mishaps of burnt food or accidentally mixing colors in the wash, but for the most part she orchestrated things smoothly. At least when the twins were not having meltdowns or Ahura was not shirking his responsibilities.

The twins continued playing until they neared bedtime, whereupon Medusa dressed them in pajamas to start their evening routine, Anora in a yellow nightgown and Daryn in pajama bottoms and a sleeveless shirt. They knew the routine but since Grandpa was with them they wanted him to tuck them in and tell stories. Despite being able to eat solid food, Daryn still occasionally nursed to help him fall asleep; it was infrequent that Inhuman infants nursed beyond a year, but not unheard of for some to continue doing so as late as two. Since Medusa nearly lost her baby boy, she never denied him. It was a few minutes she had with him one-on-one, snuggled in her arms where she knew he was safe. Anora gave up nursing about a month after their birthday, which Medusa missed.

Anora crawled onto Agon’s lap to listen to a story, yawning as she did so and resting her head on Agon’s chest. Agon had a hidden talent at lulling the twins to sleep with his soft-spoken deep voice, and neither twin made it through his story before they were sound asleep. Agon let his granddaughter snooze on his chest for some time, enjoying the quiet with his family for a while until Medusa noted the twins needed to be in bed. Ahura helped Agon stand and carry Anora into the nursery since the bed was lower than his aching knees could handle at the moment. He kissed both his grandchildren before leaving them to rest.

He met Medusa at the door. “Tomorrow, I will go with you to New Attilan. I’m curious as to what excuse Maximus has this time for running off.”

Medusa nodded, her hair tightening into a braid once again at the mention of Maximus. “Ahura will find you when we are ready to leave.”

“Good lad. I will see you in the morning.” Agon waved at Ahura, who returned to his spot on the couch, and shut the front door behind himself as he left.

With the kitchen somewhat clean and Ahura focused on his phone once again, Medusa went into the bedroom to wake Black Bolt for his shift in the Quiet Room. A few hours could not replace a full night’s sleep, but Black Bolt looked less disheveled when he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

_Everyone in bed?_

“No, Ahura is still up. Your father just left.”

Black Bolt nodded and stretched out his back. He needed to meditate, and he planned on doing so at some point tonight if the bar was not too busy. After putting on his suit, Medusa helped straighten her husband’s hair and situate the headband he wore to help him channel his powers. She kissed him, gently pushing him away when he tried to deepen the kiss.

“You’re going to be late, Blackagar Boltagon.”

_I own the business, I’m allowed to be late._

Medusa smirked at him and moved as if she were going to kiss him once again, stopping an inch or so away. “Wake me when you get back and we will pick up where we left off.”


	3. Chapter 3

The swirling blur of colors caused by Lockjaw's teleportation faded, and Maximus blinked several times, getting his bearings. New Attilan. Of course, Crystal had brought him back _here_. His cousin reached for his arm but he stepped away from her, narrowing his eyes to remind her he still wasn't happy about being ordered to leave his home. He turned to Mara, who was paler than usual, obviously not used to travelling with Lockjaw. Maximus let her lean on him until she stopped breathing deeply and looked more at ease.

Mara smiled at him and laced her fingers with his. "I'm OK. Where to now?" She wasn't impressed with the high-handedness of Max's family either, 'ordering' him back here indeed! She'd insisted on coming along, thinking that the sooner they got this over with, the sooner she and Max could go home.

Crystal cleared her throat, gesturing in front of them, and Maximus and Mara turned their gazes that way.

Black Bolt, Medusa, and Agon stared at them, none looking particularly welcoming.

Maximus took a deep breath. _I just have to be here for a while, convince them I'm not causing trouble, then Mara and I can leave._  He smiled, inclining his head. "Black Bolt, Medusa. Father. It's good to see you again." He wasn't lying- it was. He just wished they'd let _him_  decide when they met again.

There was a barely audible derisive snort from Medusa. The red-haired woman looked like she wanted to attack him then and there (and her hair was certainly writhing viciously) but Black Bolt's hand on her shoulder, and her frequent glances at Mara, who still held Maximus' hand, restrained her.

Mara cleared her throat self-consciously, speaking to try and break the tension. "It's nice to meet you all as well, Your Majesties." She felt awkward using that term, but it was their title. "I'm Mara." She flushed slightly, as they all turned to look at her.

Maximus squeezed her hand to reassure her, smiling gratefully.

Black Bolt was surprised by this tender display- clearly, this Nuhuman, Mara, meant a lot to Maximus, more than he'd imagined. He offered the petite brown haired woman a warm smile of his own, nodding a greeting.

Medusa's lips were tightly pressed together, and Maximus hung his head, remembering why she was still so angry with him. He'd kidnapped her baby son. Looking at the event with hindsight and a clear mind, he couldn't believe he'd been so cruel, to her, his brother, and poor little Daryn. He wanted to ask after the child, ensure he hadn't harmed his younger nephew back then, but judging by Medusa's expression, he'd regret it if he did. Not that he blamed her- he deserved her anger, and more. Guilt for his past actions surged through him. Looking away from his sister-in-law, he met his father's gaze.

"Hello, Father."

Agon forced a nod, his face carefully arranged into a cordial expression. "Maximus. It's been some time. We were... concerned for your well being."

Maximus smiled slightly. "Thank you for your concern." He wrapped an arm around Mara. "But you needn't have worried. Mara and I were simply trying to settle down in a new place."

Mara nodded, silently agreeing with him.

"And we- _I_ \- have no intention of causing you any further trouble." He swallowed hard. "I know I've done a lot of things I will never be able to atone for. That's why I went so far away, so you wouldn't have to deal with me if you didn't want to." And honestly, he couldn't imagine why any of his family would want him around after all he'd done.

"You will understand if we are hesitant to believe you." Medusa's voice was cutting.

Maximus winced, nodding. Why _should_  they believe him? He'd promised reform before, after all, and then acted just as he always had. "Of course." He swallowed hard. "And I know I don't deserve this, but I only ask for one more chance. Mara and I have a new home, a life, in Minnesota. Can't we at least have a chance to continue it?" His heart pounded and sweat formed on his palms. What would he do if his brother said no, made him stay here, where he'd would never be welcome, took Mara away from him?

Mara leaned her head on Maximus' shoulder, looking beseechingly up at the three intimidating figures before her. "Um, if my word counts for anything, obviously I agree with Max-imus," she added belatedly, realizing her nickname for Max wasn't really appopriate here. "We were happy, looking after ourselves, and he hasn't done anything to hurt or endanger anyone since I've known him." She sucked in a deep breath. "He came back here the minute you asked, though we had to abandon a day of work- and a day of _pay_ \- to do it. You can't really mean to force him to stay here when he doesn't want to?"

Agon's face twisted into a frown. Black Bolt and Medusa exchanged a long look, communicating without words. The silence grew heavier.

Only to be abruptly broken by the sound of people running and several raised voices, two of them very high pitched.

Two very small people burst into the room, chattering away, their red hair a complete mess from the running they'd done. Seconds later, a tall black haired teenage boy and a blonde teen girl followed, both looking frantic, snatching up a child each. The boy began using sign language rapidly, presumably scolding the giggling toddlers, and it took a few minutes for any of the newcomers to see their audience.

Medusa edged sideways so she stood between the children and Maximus. Only then did Maximus recognize Ahura, though he had no idea who the girl with him was. He stared in disbelief at the toddlers now being chastened by their mother. These two could _not_ be Anora and Daryn! Had it really been so long, that they were so big now?

"Mama, who dey?" Anora asked, pointing right at Maximus and Mara. Both twins stared at these strangers curiously, puzzled.

"Hewo." Daryn spoke quietly, bravely waving at Maximus. His little head tilted to one side, brow furrowed. "You look like Daddy."

 


	4. Chapter 4

Maximus gawked at his older brother and their father. Was he allowed to even _speak_ to his niece and nephew? They spoke to him first; if he had any say in the matter he would’ve avoided them entirely. Medusa eyed him as if she would rip out his heart if Maximus so much as looked in their direction.

Instead he pretended as if the smaller children were not there at all. “Mara, this is my nephew, Ahura.” Ahura was not looking in their direction when Maximus said his name, as Daryn was trying to force Ahura to find Lockjaw. A year ago when Daryn’s powers appeared, he could only “show” people what he wanted by making them see the object or person in question. The receiver could only see an image of whatever Daryn wanted to show them, as if they were looking at a flat photo, but now Daryn could show what he wanted along with what he wanted to do with it. At the moment he was trying to show Ahura that he wanted ‘Lockjaw kisses.’

Ahura ignored Maximus and Mara completely in favor of finding Lockjaw down the hallway so Daryn would relax and stop whining. Both twins refused to take a nap before coming to New Attilan so their tempers were extremely short, and they alternated between whining over trivial matters and tantrums that involved hitting or kicking whatever was in reach. They were both placed in time out twice before even getting on the train for New Attilan.

Maximus stole furtive glances at the twins, genuinely curious at their rapid growth. He was not much older than Crystal but he could remember her as a small child; since they aged together it was not alarming that Crystal grew so fast. But now, as an adult, seeing the twins grow amazed him. Last year Daryn could crawl and jabber broken attempts at words, and now he could run and use entire sentences. Inhumans grew much quicker than humans, so even though the twins were still considered infants to Inhumans their growth was no less remarkable. Maximus wondered if Daryn remembered him at all and the few days spent in the apartment with Maximus.

As Ahura and Irelle took the twins to find Lockjaw down the hall, Mara’s gaze followed them. “They’re beautiful children,” she directed at Medusa and Black Bolt. Medusa’s hair writhed behind her in agitation and she practically bit a hole in her cheek to stop herself from yelling. Black Bolt nodded his head in thanks and threaded his fingers through Medusa’s to ground her. 

They could hear Daryn squeal at Lockjaw when they found him and demand Ahura put him down. Daryn still transposed the ‘k’ sound with the ‘t’ sound, so he typically called the huge dog ‘Lot-jaw.’ With the twins occupied for the moment, Agon cleared his throat. “Maximus, have you continued using the medication you received during your sentence?”

Maximus nodded, stifling the urge to rub at the small scar left over from the daily injection of medicine on his arm. He had no control over the device beyond requesting what time of day he received the injection, but even so the time was manually programmed by someone else. At the beginning of his sentence he tried desperately to dismantle it or pry it off, going so far as to consider cutting through his arm in one of his wilder moments. After about six weeks his moods and behaviors seemed to level out, and he learned to appreciate what the medicine did for him. Maximus still would’ve preferred the pill form, but he could now understand why an injection was a better start, at least until he was stable. Otherwise he would have most likely spit the pill out or refused. 

He nodded at his father. “I have, though it is now in Minnesota. We were not given an opportunity to pack anything.” It was something of a jab at Crystal, and Maximus knew he was being petty. The medicine stabilized him, sure, but that certainly did not mean he could never complain about anything.

Medusa looked ready to explode. “How do we know you are not lying, that all of this is not a ruse of some kind? How do we know you are not controlling this Nuhuman?”

Mara scoffed at Medusa. “I have a name, you know. And Maximus has taken the medicine every day before going to work; I’ve watched him do so. And he’s not controlling me.”

“Don’t think for a moment I won’t slap a neural inhibitor on him once again to verify your claim. He’s promised that he would change in the past, I have no reason to believe him.” Medusa’s hair fanned behind her in tendrils, ready to react to anything Maximus or Mara would try. 

Maximus held out his arm and yanked his sleeve up. “Do it, if it’ll cease your accusations and threats.”

Before the tension could increase, Black Bolt stepped into the middle of the circle with his hands held up to defuse everyone. _Maximus, we brought you back because you left without any indication as to where you were going. When you did so in the past, it was usually followed by some kind of plot that you spent months underground enacting. And we were also concerned that you had no way of refilling your medicine; Vinatos can provide you with more. Brother, we did not bring you back to upend your life._

“I appreciate the sentiment, Black Bolt, but I am quite happy amongst the humans. None of them know me or the things I’ve done, and I’ve done nothing but _help_ them these past few months. If it’s all the same to you, I’d like for us to return now.” Maximus gently squeezed Mara’s hand as she nodded, verifying his claim.

Agon interrupted. “Maximus, we’d like for you to remain here for a short time. Consider it a _test_ of sorts; if you can show us that your word is true, that you continue to take the medicine and do not cause trouble, you will be free to leave.”

“Do you know how much we would lose in wages, father?” Maximus snapped at Agon, doing his best to keep his voice down so the royal guard would not be alerted. “The job I have in Minnesota is paid under the table, I could lose it easily.”

The slang human term Maximus used for being paid irked Medusa, though she said nothing. Agon clasped his hands behind his back. “We will vouch for you to your employer that you are here for a family matter-“

Black Bolt held up his hand once again, Medusa speaking for him. _If you remain here and complete this test, for every day you do so I will give you both the equivalent wages. That is if you do so while continuing to take the medicine and without causing any trouble whatsoever._

Maximus and Mara looked at each other, Mara shrugging. If she understood correctly, that meant they could live in New Attilan and be paid the same amount of money without actually doing any work. It almost seemed like they were being paid for an extended holiday.

“Fine. But we will stay at my apartment, not here or with you.” Maximus looked at his father, brother, and sister-in-law in turn, confirming the agreement. “And you must contact Dan, my employer. Tell him we are here and that I will continue working for him as soon as I return.”

Mara spoke up before anyone else could interject. “He does not know about us, about what we can do. No one there knows, and we’d like to remain unknown.” 

The group nodded as a heavy clicking sound approached behind them. Lockjaw slowly ambled in, the nails on his paws clacking against the polished marble of the floor. On his back sat Daryn and Anora as if riding an oddly-shaped squat horse, Ahura and Irelle helping them sit upright so they would not slide off. Lockjaw was used to children climbing all over him, so the twins sitting on his back did not bother him at all. He actually seemed quite pleased with the attention. Daryn grinned as wide as possible. “Mommy, we finded Lockjaw!”

Lockjaw’s ‘eyebrows’ perked when he heard his name, panting in excitement. Though he was far older than Ahura and the twins and definitely an adult dog, his cellular structure suggested he was still quite young. Attilan scientists had no idea as to the potential length of Lockjaw’s lifespan, but he was still spry and had few health difficulties as he aged. Lockjaw still acted like a puppy on some days when he was not being lazy.

Lockjaw lugged himself around the adults to sit next to Crystal and allow the twins to continue playing on him. As a testament to their personalities, Daryn sat on the floor in the crook of Lockjaw’s leg and laid his head on Lockjaw’s rib cage while Anora squatted in front of Lockjaw’s face to play with his droopy jowls. With the twins distracted, Ahura could focus on the adults once again. He waved to Maximus, unsure as to how he felt about his uncle. When Maximus kidnapped Daryn, it was on Ahura’s watch. 

Mara introduced herself, feeling awkward at not knowing how to really do so. She only met a few deaf people in her lifetime, and the signs Ahura and Black Bolt used were different than the ones used in England. Not only that, Ahura and Black Bolt’s signs did not even resemble each other’s. Ahura squinted at her, then to Irelle at his side for clarification. 

“We will need proof that you are taking the medicine,” Agon mused. “A simple count will not suffice, one of us must verify that you’re actually taking it.”

Maximus threw his hands up. “Unbelievable. I’ve taken it without fail for the past three months, and now you wish to infantilize me? What other demands do you have?”

“I’ve not considered any others.” Agon clasped his hands behind his back once again, mulling over how Maximus intended to prove his compliance. “Blood sampling would work; Vinatos could do so in mere moments. Yes, that will do. Thoughts, Blackagar?” 

Black Bolt nodded, bringing his hand to his brother’s shoulder to reassure him. He wanted desperately to believe Maximus, to know that everything was going smoothly and Maximus was finally sorting his life out. Previous experience made Black Bolt hesitate, as Maximus promised reform in the past only to return to his vile ways as soon as anyone turned their back on him. 

Agon contacted Vinatos and relayed the details of the agreement. Mara could see that Maximus felt far angrier than he allowed his face to show, but there was very little she could do for him beyond hold his hand. Whenever they returned to his apartment she would help him ease his tension; she knew how to please Maximus and what he liked. Sometimes when he came home from working on machinery he wanted a simple massage, other times he wanted more than that. At no point in their relationship did Maximus force her or ask Mara to do something she did not feel comfortable doing. At times he was a tad more rough than she was used to, but the moment Mara made any indication she was uncomfortable Maximus would stop. She trusted him, something Maximus was still growing used to.

“Well, now that you’re all quite smug with yourselves, I’d like for us to be on our way. Crystal, take us to my apartment, please.” After a quick glance to Agon to ensure that was the plan, Crystal called for Lockjaw. The dog stood slowly so Daryn would not fall back and bash his head against the marble floor.

“Where do Lockjaw go? Mommy, Lockjaw come back?” Daryn tried to follow Lockjaw but whined as soon as Ahura picked him up. “No, Hura, go down! Want down!” As soon as Lockjaw teleported Crystal, Maximus, and Mara away, Daryn worked himself up to a legitimate tantrum. He kicked and flailed, throwing his head backward to add to the drama. He attempted to slap Ahura but Medusa used a lock of hair to hold the little boy’s hand, prompting further screeches at anyone in reach. Anora watched her brother throw his fit, then stood in front of Black Bolt with her arms raised asking to be held. 

“Someone needs a nap,” Medusa called over Daryn’s screaming. “They could both use one, actually. We aren’t leaving until he calms down; I’m not bringing that behavior onto a train. Randac knows the humans ogle us enough as it is.” Typically Medusa’s punishment for one of her children throwing a tantrum was to just ignore it unless that child tried to hurt his or her sibling. She never spanked any of her children, though she occasionally swatted a hand away or snapped her fingers at them. Black Bolt was more of a disciplinarian, which worked for Ahura since he was old enough to reason his behaviors. The twins were still too young to do so.

Ahura set Daryn back down and let the little boy continue his meltdown seated on the floor, pretending that it was not happening. Instead he turned and chatted with Irelle and Medusa while Agon focused on Anora. No one paid any attention to Daryn until he forced himself to calm down, at least calm enough that he wasn’t screaming at everyone. When his cries were reduced to mere whimpers, Medusa scooped him up again.

“There’s my boy,” she soothed into his ear. “Are you having a bad day? I know you wanted to keep playing with Lockjaw. He has other things to do though, my love, and we need to go home.” She swayed her hips, trying to lull Daryn into taking a nap. His eyes were heavy, and Medusa was fairly certain his tantrum was really displaced energy from being tired. Anora did the exact same thing when she felt exceedingly tired. When Daryn finally laid his head on Medusa’s shoulder, he showed her what he wanted telepathically. “Did you want to show Lockjaw your stuffed La-La? Is that why you were so upset? Next time Lockjaw goes to our apartment you can show him.” La-La referred to Daryn’s stuffed Lockjaw toy that Crystal and Luna made for the twins when they were only a few months old. It was meant to be shared, but at some point La-La became Daryn’s exclusively, though Anora didn’t seem to mind. They shared it occasionally but most often it was Daryn’s toy. 

When Daryn quieted, his face red and puffy from crying, the family set out across the bridge back into New York. At this late in the day, if the twins managed to take a nap, they’d need to wake up again soon after for dinner. If they slept heavily enough they would be terrors at bed time as well and refuse to sleep. Medusa pondered what to do as she stepped onto the main island of New York, nearly running into an officer that stood in front of her.

“Hi, folks,” the officer chirped. “Can I see some ID?” He was not the tallest officer Medusa had seen, and he was also not the burliest. Shorter than Frank McGee but much thinner. 

Medusa shifted Daryn to the other hip, using a lock of hair to rifle through her pockets. “May I ask why we need to show you? We’ve never been stopped before.”

The officer kept his hands on his belt, his pleasant expression unchanged. “Border patrol. Mayor wants to keep tabs on non-humans coming and going to New York.”

Black Bolt found his own identification, a green card, in his billfold with Medusa’s tucked behind it. He passed the cards to her and motioned for Ahura to do the same, unsure what to do about Agon. Agon’s paperwork to reside in New York with Black Bolt and Medusa was still being processed, even though it was sent off months ago to the immigration office. Black Bolt felt the green card was beneath him; he was a _king_ , not a United States citizen. However, to own the Quiet Room he needed a green card and passport to be granted any license to open a business.

The officer examined both cards then Ahura’s, talking to Ahura as he examined the newest card. “Are they your mom and dad?” Ahura did not notice the officer speaking to him, his attention elsewhere. “Son, I asked you a question.”

Black Bolt heard his teeth clack together when he clenched his jaw. He pointed to Medusa and himself, hoping the officer would understand. 

“He’s our son, yes,” Medusa explained. “He’s deaf, I’m not sure he knew you were asking him anything.” She touched Ahura’s shoulder and signed the question for him. 

Ahura nodded, signing as he spoke. He rarely spoke in full sentences, usually a word or two at a time. “Ma, dah.” 

The officer nodded, enunciating his apology. He then turned back to Medusa. “What about the younger kids?”

She was unsure how to respond. “They are our children as well, I’m not sure what you are asking.”

“Do you have their passports? They need identification as well.”

“Passports? They aren’t even two years old! They don’t need passports.”

The officer’s face suddenly became stern. “Ma’am, they would need passports to travel in or out of the country, even as newborns. And they are obviously older than two.”

Medusa looked to Black Bolt and Agon. No one questioned the age of the twins before, or asked for something as silly as an ID for them. “They do not have passports. And I would think I know the age of my own children; they turn two in early spring.”

“How should I know that they are even yours, then? All non-citizens in the United States are required to have some sort of identification, regardless of age. Do they have any identification from New Attilan?”

Ahura relied on Agon and Irelle to relay information to him. Since Agon and Irelle improved so much in their signing skills over the past year he rarely used ghosts anymore. Medusa looked to Black Bolt once again, unsure of what to do to satisfy the officer.

“Inhumans do not carry identification. There’s so few of us we’ve never required it. Many of the Nuhumans carry their own identification from living amongst humans, but Attilan Inhumans do not.” Daryn shifted himself in agitation, growing tired of the conversation. He projected his thoughts to Medusa so he would not have to speak in front of the scary officer. She kissed his forehead and swayed her hips, cooing into his ear. “I know you want to go home, my love, we won’t be long.”

The officer shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but without some form of identification for those children I’m unable to let you across the bridge.”

Medusa’s hair twisted in annoyance. “Excuse me? We have an apartment, and a business in Union Station—this is absurd! We’ve _never_ needed identification for them.”

“I’m sorry, there is nothing I can do for you at this time. If you’re able to provide some form of identification for them, I’ll be happy to let you across.”

Before Medusa could become even angrier, Black Bolt gently tugged her bicep so she would follow him back to the entrance of New Attilan. _When Crystal returns, we will use Lockjaw._

This was not the first run-in with the United States government; Black Bolt started a Cold War with the government a number of years ago that ended peacefully but made life difficult for Inhumans living amongst humans. He read the New York Times frequently enough to know that immigration was a point of contention for the current administration but he did not see how that applied to Inhumans. They were foreign aliens in the most literal sense of the word.

Anora kept herself awake by chattering at her father. “Daddy, we go home now grandpa go with us? Why do mommy look mad? Daryn good boy he don’t cry now.” Black Bolt often thought about how the twins viewed him and his inability to speak. They seemed to try and apply the “rules” they unknowingly created for interacting with Ahura to Black Bolt at times, or vice versa. Daryn seemed to realize that he could verbally yell for Black Bolt’s attention but not Ahura, while Anora yelled at everyone regardless. At times they signed to Black Bolt but spoke to Ahura, or became mad when Black Bolt did not verbally respond no matter how many times Medusa reminded them that daddy never would.

“I good boy,” Daryn muttered over Medusa’s shoulder as if he were offended Anora would even question such a thing. “Mommy, we go see Lockjaw more?”

Medusa nodded, happy she could at least satisfy one minor crisis for the day. “Yes, my love, we are going to see Lockjaw again. He’s going to take us home, then you can show him La-La.” 

Daryn kicked his feet in excitement and looked over Medusa’s shoulder to Ahura. “ _Doggy._ ”

“ _Did mom say we are seeing your buddy again? I bet you’re happy about that._ ”

“ _No, I good Daryn._ ”

Ahura snorted through his nose at his little brother’s reasoning. “ _Yeah, you’re good, D._ ” Daryn and Anora’s signs typically revolved around things in their limited world, mostly focused on food or toys. Daryn couldn’t go a single day without asking about dogs, however. If they saw a dog at the park, or Reader brought his little terrier Forey, Daryn made comments about it. Forey loved Daryn, since Daryn often gave him treats without Reader’s awareness.

They waited for Lockjaw to return in the Grand Hall, where most of the terrigenesis ceremonies took place. During that time Irelle met up with her twin sister, Treste, and took her leave of the family to go to dinner with Frank. As soon as Crystal returned, Medusa ran through the conversation with the officer.

“I’ll let Iso know what’s happening,” Crystal planned. “We have so many Nuhumans, stopping everyone would not be feasible. And the officer seriously couldn’t tell they’re yours? The hair is a dead give-away.”

Medusa nodded and set Daryn down so he could go to Lockjaw once again. Since they spoke in Tilan, Black Bolt has to mentally translate the words for Ahura; Black Bolt could sign, but not fast enough to keep up with Medusa and Crystal’s conversation. It was easier for him to relay the information telepathically. He then held Anora’s hand and placed it on Lockjaw’s back so the huge dog could teleport, Medusa doing the same with Daryn. In a matter of seconds they were home once again, Daryn scuttling off to find La-La and the conversation with the officer far from their minds.


	5. Chapter 5

Maximus rolled his eyes as he felt the now-familiar needle prick as his blood was drawn for testing. He stifled a sigh. "Honestly, Father, it's been over two weeks. Must you do this _every_  day?"

Agon regarded him steadily. "Until your brother states otherwise, yes. Though I will admit, you are much changed. Better than I...."

"Better than you expected?" Maximus arched a brow. "You can say it, you know. I know I was a bad person... before."

Agon averted his eyes, focusing on the device that tested the levels of medicine in Maximus' blood.

"Aren't you ever going to speak to me properly, Father? About... anything in the past, now I can discuss it rationally?" _Like how it was my fault that Mother died and you were taken by the Kree, decades ago_. Maximus didn't want to admit it, but it hurt that his father still kept him at arm's length. Black Bolt had warmed to him lately, it seemed, even allowing him to spend time with the young twins, as long as he was supervised. (He had no idea how his brother had gotten Medusa to agree to that, but she had.) Mara had joined him on one occasion, saying she wanted to 'practice' taking care of little ones. Had she meant to hint something there, about wanting children someday? Maximus wasn't as averse to the idea as he would once have been, but they'd never discussed it. His little niece and nephew were adorable, but hard work. Still, being trusted with them, after what he'd done to Daryn in the past, was a blessing he had no intention of squandering.

He'd just pulled his sleeve down, and Agon was tidying away the medical scanner, when two tiny sets of footsteps sounded, running towards the conference room they stood in. Maximus hid a grin as two sets of blue eyes peeked round the slightly-open door. Unsurprisingly, Anora was the first to step into the room, knocking as she entered.

"Grandpa! Uncle Maxi! Can me and Daryn come in?" This being said as she pushed the door open for Daryn and walked straight towards them, not waiting for a response.

Maximus raised an eyebrow ironically. "You'd be in trouble if Grandpa and I said no, wouldn't you?"

"You won't." Anora announced, full of a child's confidence. "You like playing with us. You told Auntie Mara, we heared you."

"Yep, you said we're lots of fun." Daryn affirmed. "Before Auntie Mara went off with Mama to talk bout im'gration stuff."

Maximus reddened slightly. "You two do remember that Mara isn't actually your aunt yet, don't you?"

"Yeah. But she will be, when you marry her."

Maximus nearly choked on air. "I..... uh... who said I was going to marry her?"

"Gorgon did." Daryn's voice was matter-of-fact. "He said he happy you finded a woman, and that Auntie Mara will be good at keeping you in line when you marry her."

Agon shook his head at Daryn. "That was a grown-up talk, Daryn! You and your sister should both have been in bed then, not eavesdropping. You've been told about listening at doors."

"But we hear cool stuff by listening." Anora protested.

Daryn hefted his ever-present Lockjaw toy. "Sides, we didn't hear, La-La did, an' he tolded us."

"Yep." Anora nodded as if this were a plausible story. "La-La tell us stuff that grown ups say."

Agon rolled his eyes at the incorrigible twins, looking like he was about to scold them. Mortified as he was, Maximus didn't want the little ones crying, so he reached out and took the La-La toy from Daryn.

"He tells you two things, does he? Do you think he'll speak to me?"

Anora shook her head. "No. He don't talk to grown-ups."

"No?" Maximus sat down on a nearby chair, feigning shock. "I bet he does."

"No!"

Smirking, Maximus held the toy dog before his face, making barking-like sounds.

"No! No, no! La-La not talk to you!" Anora ran forward, grabbing at the dog.

"Alright, alright." Maximus put the toy down on his lap, hiding his grin as he thought of a game. Anora toddled back over to Daryn, and when her back was turned, he made La-La resume 'barking'.

"No no no!" Anora raced back towards him, wagging a finger in his face, and this time actually taking the dog and running out of the room.

Maximus cracked up laughing at the indignant look on Daryn's face, and his irritated huff of " _Our_  La-La!" before he stomped out after his sister. Really, these two were so hilarious! After he got himself under control, he wiped tears of mirth from his face, and only then realized Agon showed no signs of joining in with the joke.

"Father? What’s wrong? You seem distant as of late.”

Agon looked to the floor, his eyes unfocused. Maximus reached across the sofa and gently shook Agon’s shoulder, causing him to jump. “Hmm? What is it?”

“I said you seem distant. Are you alright?”

“No, Maximus, I am not.”

Maximus waited patiently for his father to continue, his hands folded and on his lap. He expected Agon to give him some kind of lecture about his behaviors and how much Maximus ruined everyone’s lives.

Agon took a deep breath, his hands shaking. “I miss your mother.” They say quietly for another moment as Agon continued to gather his thoughts. “I’ve lost everything, Maximus. My wife, my home, everything. I gave you up, both of you. Blackagar to the chamber, you to science. I made so many mistakes, Maximus.”

Maximus shifted, uncomfortable with this level of disclosure. He also noted his father's voice was somewhat slurred, but didn't comment on it- perhaps Agon was merely tired. He was no longer young, after all... "You have us now, and your grandchildren.”

“Yes, I suppose you are correct. So much of your life was unknown to me as you grew, I don’t know how you or your brother can ever forgive me.” Agon rubbed his right arm, as if it had gone numb.

Maximus meant to reply mid-sentence, then clacked his jaw shut. He never expected his father to ask _him_  for forgiveness. Maximus reached across the sofa once again and gripped Agon’s shoulder, nodding but not looking him in the eye. He spent _years_  hating his father, angry for the lack of recognition he received from his family. It touched him more than Maximus realized, but he did not know how to respond. He swallowed hard, struggling to find words to console his father, and found none. He sighed, looking up at Agon-

And froze in horror as his father clutched his head, grimacing as if in the throes of a migraine. The right side of his face went slack, and he slumped sideways, eyes closing, then tumbling to the floor before Maximus could prevent his fall.

Maximus' heart pounded as he dropped to his knees at Agon's side. "Father? Father!" He shook his shoulder, but got no response except Agon's head lolling. He was about to start shouting for help when footsteps sounded, and before he could move, Medusa and Mara appeared in the doorway. Shock and fear were written all over their faces, and- in Medusa's case- suspicion.

Maximus belatedly realized what this would look like to her- Agon unconscious on the floor after being alone with him, and Maximus kneeling over him, hands on his shoulders. He stood slowly and looked Medusa straight in the eye. "I had nothing to do with this, I swear. I was about to go get help."

Medusa didn't even attempt to hide her skepticism. "Step away from him."

Maximus obeyed, feeling ill. He hadn't done anything, but why would his family believe him? There were no witnesses, and with his history... He looked at Mara, whose face was warm as ever, though there was doubt in her eyes. He returned his gaze to Agon, who lay pale and unmoving, willing him to wake up and be well.

"I'll go and fetch some help." Mara backed out of the room, almost running to find one of the others. She was almost certain Max had nothing to do with this- he looked genunely afraid for his father- but still, the way this _looked_...

What if Maximus _had_  done this? As she ran to locate her partner's family, her hand unconsciously drifted to her stomach. If Maximus truly was responsible for this... where would it leave them?

 


	6. Chapter 6

Black Bolt paced in front of the door to the infirmary, his face blank and unreadable. On a stone bench Maximus sat, his wrists shackled in a device that also covered his hands. “Brother, you’re going to wear a pattern into the floor if you continue to pace.”

Medusa immediately went to Black Bolt and wrapped her arm around his elbow to ground him. “Everyone deals with worry in their own ways, Maximus, even you.”

“He builds things,” Mara jumped in to defend Maximus. “I can tell when he frets over something because our table will be littered with trinkets.” Despite Maximus being unable to move his hands, he leaned sideways to briefly touch his forehead to Mara’s. Black Bolt did not know what to do with his emotions; he worried immensely for his father but seeing his brother be affectionate also brought him a modicum of joy.

“Whenever I felt guilty about abducting Daryn,” Maximus began, his head bowed. “I would make him a little toy. There’s a box of them somewhere in our room in Minnesota-“

“Yes, it’s in the closet. We meant to send it in the post but since there’s no post on Sunday’s, and that is usually our day off, it is still there.” Mara felt in her pocket for her phone, opening the photos to show Medusa. Medusa merely eyed the phone with indifference whereas Black Bolt flicked through them to distract himself somewhat. “When we go home, we will be sure to send the box.”

Black Bolt forced himself to smile in thanks as he returned the phone. If what Maximus said was true, that he made the little toys whenever he felt guilty, then Maximus must have wracked himself with guilt.

In the six hours since Black Bolt’s own phone rang, when Medusa called him to say that Agon collapsed and was taken to the infirmary of New Attilan, Black Bolt only saw his father once for a few seconds. He wanted to be near his father; for about thirty years Black Bolt assumed his father was dead, and though he never truly stopped mourning he was able to live with that pain. Seeing Agon again was a major psychological shock to Black Bolt, and he remained distant for a few weeks. This happened while the twins were still immobile infants, and as soon as Agon held one of the babies Black Bolt instantly let all of that pain go. Only to have it all punch him in the gut a few hours prior to now.

Vinatos emerged from the infirmary, pulling a mask from his face. “My King, I have news of King Agon.”

Black Bolt tensed but his face remained steady as Maximus stood. Vinatos gestured for Maximus to hold up his arms as he spoke, unlocking the shackles and removing the device. “His Highness had an acute ischemic accident, a stroke, in the left hemisphere of the brain. We were able to control his blood pressure, but until our scans are complete and he wakes we do not know the extent of the damage.” Vinatos curled his long bony fingers around the shackles. “Maximus did not cause this occurrence; it is the result of age and strain from the mines of Hala.”

Medusa waited for Maximus to gloat about being exonerated, but he surprised her by merely nodding. “What must we do for him?”

“For now, there is nothing for you to do. We will continue to monitor him and stabilize as needed, though in monitoring his brain activity it appears this is an isolated incident. Once he wakes, he will likely be confused and disoriented, but again, I am unable to say at this time.” Vinatos ruefully smiled at Medusa. “May I have your permission to speak freely, my Lady?”

“Of course.”

“I’m sure Prince Ahura is unsure what is happening; he may need the comfort of his parents at the moment. There is nothing for anyone to do here but wait, and I believe your energies would best be spent with your children and maintaining their routine. As soon as King Agon wakes, I will contact you personally.”

Medusa looked up to Black Bolt, who seemed far away as he stared ahead. She always knew when Black Bolt was processing information as his lack of facial expression told her. She squeezed his hand, breaking his concentration. “Ahura needs us for now, Blackagar. Agon will need us soon enough.”

He nodded, robotically tilting his head toward Vinatos to thank him. Vinatos bowed at his waist. “Your Grace, with your permission.”

Medusa smirked at him, grateful that despite three decades of massive change in Attilan, Vinatos remained a solid constant. Vinatos knew the medical histories of the entire royal family, performed every scan for Medusa during both pregnancies, determined the nature of Ahura’s hearing loss, and cured Daryn of his illness when the baby was only a few weeks old. He also helped integrate many Nuhumans into New Attilan, gave the twins every single checkup, even rocked Anora to sleep once. In a sea of change, Vinatos was a rock and his formality was a comfort Medusa did not realize she needed.

Black Bolt turned to Maximus and asked Medusa to translate for him. “ _I’m sorry for doubting you, Maximus.”_

“Understandable, Black Bolt. Medusa had every reason to suspect that I harmed Agon in some way.” Maximus minutely shrugged, intertwining his fingers with Mara’s. “This is why we moved to Minnesota; here, all of my past crimes color every step I take.”

Medusa wanted to snap at him, forcing herself to swallow the comment she wanted to make. Of course people would immediately think the worst of Maximus; in thirty years he tried to overthrow Attilan multiple times, destroyed much of it, harmed countless people. If Medusa ever said as much, Black Bolt was quick to remind her that those events were from an unmedicated Maximus who was victim to unchecked mental illness. Since he stabilized, Maximus did not cause a problem beyond mere disagreement and leaving for Minnesota without telling anyone.

Medusa felt her phone vibrate in a hidden pocket lining her dress. She opened it to a string of texts from Ahura asking for updates on Agon’s condition. “We should go, Black Bolt. Lockjaw will need to take us once again.” Black Bolt nodded and called to Lockjaw, who appeared in a sandy haze. “Take us to the apartment, please.”

Lockjaw briefly hesitated, the stump that remained of his tail wriggling back and forth. The huge dog sniffed at Mara, nosing against her abdomen and pulling his jowls back into a ‘grin.’ When Medusa tapped his hind leg, Lockjaw snorted and shifted away, taking the royal family with him.

 

* * *

 

In the apartment, Ahura sat on the couch bouncing his knee as the twins played with toys on the floor. He did not notice his family shifting into the living room until both twins looked up and ran around the couch to see Lockjaw. Medusa held her hand up to the twins to grab their attention. “One hug, then Lockjaw has to go.” Daryn threw himself against Lockjaw’s rump while Anora preferred to stand against his front leg. They reluctantly let go, allowing Lockjaw to shift away once again.

Ahura stood in front of his parents, worry scribbled across his face. “ _What happened? How is he?_ ”

Medusa forced herself to smile. “ _Your grandfather had a...I don’t know the sign, actually. Brain-sick_.” Ahura furrowed his eyebrows, trying to understand the meaning. Before Ahura could become upset, Medusa held his shoulders. “ _Agon lives. He will be in the infirmary for quite some time, and afterward he will need our help. Vinatos is taking care of him. And I’ll message Rila and ask that she show me the sign._ ” She pulled Ahura into a hug and combed her fingers through his hair until he calmed.

Black Bolt busied himself by washing dishes in the kitchen, his face stoic. No one but Medusa knew how he felt, though Ahura could most likely guess. He wondered how he was going to explain what happened to the twins, or what Agon would need when he woke. Black Bolt did not realize he scrubbed the same plate multiple times until Daryn tugged at his pant leg. “Daddy, I help?”

He dried his hands and scooped up Daryn to set him on the counter, letting him dry the plastic cups and plates so he would not drop and break any glassware. Daryn worked slowly, drying a dish for a few seconds then finding something interesting on the counter. Much of the time he spent telling Black Bolt which item belonged to whom.

“That Nora’s cup, this my cup. Hura and daddy and mommy uses same cup. This for grandpa. One time he use my cup but I tolded him no.” Daryn rambled on to fill the quiet of the kitchen, clacking plastic plates together or flicking at soap bubbles in the sink. “Daddy, what cup Lockjaw uses?”

Black Bolt showed his son a regular sized cup and shook his head, then found a large mixing bowl and nodded. Usually if no one were paying attention to Lockjaw, the dog would drink from a courtyard fountain in New Attilan.

Medusa shuffled into the kitchen on bare feet, Anora on her hip. She used her hair to gather Daryn from the counter. “I need you two to help Ahura clean up your toys, please. See if you can finish before he does.” The idea of making it a competition excited the twins and they both took off as soon as their feet hit the ground. Once they were in the living room, Medusa wrapped her arms around Black Bolt’s waist from behind, laying her head between his shoulder blades. “How are you doing?”

“ _I don’t know. I’m not sure how to feel. I lost him once, so I figured this would be easier but it’s not._ ”

“Last time there was certainty, even if it was in error. Right now there are unknowns. And neither of us like unknowns.”

Black Bolt nodded, drying his hands once again. “ _It all feels unfair. I’ve only had him back for a year, but now I don’t know where he is mentally-“_

“Ma.” Medusa and Black Bolt spun around to find Ahura in the doorway of the kitchen. “ _There’s someone here for you and Dad, I couldn’t understand where he said he’s from._ ”

They looked to each other for a brief moment, then followed Ahura out into the main room. A short man in a suit and tie stood gazing around the apartment with a canvas briefcase in his hand, obviously uncomfortable with the twins asking him rapid-fire questions. When he noticed the adults, he held out his hand to shake theirs. “Mister and misses Boltagon? My name is Rod Kensington, I’m with the Office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Do you mind if we chat for a bit?”

Ahura shuffled the twins further into the living room to continue cleaning up their toys. Medusa gestured to the dining table and allowed Kensington to choose his own seat. Black Bolt sat across from him with Medusa at the head of the table. “To what do we owe this visit, Mr. Kensington?”

“I was told there was some trouble at the ‘nanee’ border,” Kensington began, laying his bag on the seat next to him. “My report said that you did not have proper documentation to enter New York.”

“Nanee?”

“The New Attilan-New York border. N-A for New Attilan, N-Y for New York. Nany.”

Medusa’s braid cinched tighter, aggravated at what happened a few weeks ago and now the slang term for the bridge connecting New Attilan and New York. “Yes, they told me that my youngest children needed identification. They are not even two years old yet. They turn two in a few months.”

“I understand your confusion, Mrs. Boltagon. The requirements for non-citizens residing in the United States can be complex.” Kensington opened his bag and pulled out a folder with various colored papers. “The reason I wanted to meet with you is to discuss some of your options, and how you can go about getting them identification.”

Black Bolt looked to his wife, his eyebrows furrowed. She spoke for him. “Black Bolt asks that you forgive us at the moment, as a family member is seriously ill and we are waiting for news of his condition.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Kensington said, pausing in his collection of various papers and forms. “If it helps at all, I’m only here to help you navigate our system; I have no intention of uprooting you or your family. In fact, my official position is that of Inhuman Liaison, and I help Inhumans obtain citizenship or permanent residency.”

“Blackagar and I have your Green Card, and our son has one as well. We were unaware that our younger children needed them.” Medusa looked back to the living room to check on her children, seeing that not much cleaning was accomplished. Ahura was standing in front of the couch with Anora in his arms, not signing to her but poking and tickling her tummy.

Kensington brought out a notepad and began scribbling notes. “You said they are almost two, but they appear much older than that. Do you have any sort of birth certificate for them, to prove their birthdates?”

“The Royal Physician has all of their records. Inhumans do not use birth certificates. So much of our population is controlled that most of the data is digital.”

“Were they born in New Attilan?”

Medusa and Black Bolt shook their heads. “No, they were born here, in the apartment. Anora was born first, then Daryn about twenty minutes later.”

Kensington scribbled more notes. “And when is their birthdate?”

“The...fifth? Yes, the fifth of April, I believe that is your equivalent.” Medusa scrunched her face for a moment as she tried to calculate the twins’ birthdate into the Gregorian calendar. Attilan’s system, though it used twelve months, was lunar-based and thus not a direct equivalent. “So in two months they’ll be two.”

The government agent paused in his writing. “I’ll be honest, their age presents something of a problem. They must have identification of some kind before they are two years old, so we may have to force their applications through. The problem is that, without any proof of their birthdate, any judge who looks at them will say they’re older than two and declare them illegal residents.”

Black Bolt held up his hand, waiting for Medusa to receive his thoughts. “I’m sorry, Mr. Kensington, but we do not want them to become citizens of the United States. They’re fully Inhuman; we wish to preserve their succession to the throne of Attilan, after their brother. The only reason myself, my wife, and my son have a Green Card was to establish my business.”

Kensington rapped his pen against his notepad, considering what to say. “Hmm, I see. Tell you what, I know right now is not the best time for you and your family so I’m going to leave these forms here for you to look through. You can weigh your options, though I would highly recommend you obtain a lawyer to help you navigate through some of the jargon.” Kensington flipped the notepad to a new page and scribbled a name and phone number. “I know a guy; he isn’t an immigration lawyer but he does work with non-humans quite a bit. Lives in Hell’s Kitchen, name is Murdock. Give him a call and see if he can go through some of this with you. I’ll be sure to put in a request for Braille forms as soon as I get back to the office and send them over to him.”

“What is a Braille Form? I’m not aware of that type of citizenship.”

Kensington grinned at them both, drawing some dots on the paper he used to write the phone number. “I’m sorry, I assumed everyone knew what Braille meant. It’s not a type of citizenship, it’s actually a way for blind people to read. It uses dots, but I can’t tell you much beyond that. No clue how it works.”

Black Bolt looked at the pattern of dots and tapped it, mentally speaking to his wife. “ _I recognize this; Reader uses this system. It’s brilliant._ ”

Kensington stuffed his notepad and folder, minus a stack of paperwork, into his canvas bag and stood, his hand out. “I appreciate your time. If you have any questions at all, my direct number is on the teal form.”

The twins noticed that Kensington prepared to leave, prompting them to both run over and ask a dozen or more questions as he tried to exit through the front door. They wanted to open the door for him, dragging a kitchen chair over to the door and fighting over who would climb on it first. Black Bolt and Medusa each grabbed a twin and moved the chair out of the way so the door could open. The twins both yelled their goodbyes down the staircase, then hellos to the two Inhumans guarding the bottom. The guards looked back at them and waved, smiles on their faces.

Ahura rifled through some of the forms, trying to decipher their intense legal gibberish. _”What did that man want?”_

 _”Apparently our run-in with the policeman a few weeks ago flagged us since the twins do not have green cards. We need to do something before they’re declared illegal.”_ Medusa looked over the page with the phone number to the blind lawyer’s office. As she looked up she noticed Ahura’s blanched face. _”It’s alright, my love, the police aren’t going to steal them away in the middle of the night. We just have to send in the application before their birthday.”_

The number of scares that day was too much for Ahura. He dropped himself into a chair at the table and massaged his temples, unable to process anything else at the moment. He wanted to see Irelle, and be with someone without the responsibility of taking care of his siblings or maintaining decorum around Inhumans who knew his father as king. At times the pomp and ceremony of being a prince aggravated Ahura. Few people actually knew the origins of many of their ceremonies, and really it was only Inhumans twice his age that even cared for them.

Black Bolt set Anora on the floor once again and returned to the sink to drain the water. The little girl followed him into the kitchen, prattling on about what she wanted for dinner and trying to tug the refrigerator open. “Daddy, mommy said grandpa sick. What we make so grandpa eat and he feel better?”

He gripped the edge of the counter, trying to keep his face neutral. Black Bolt shook his head and nudged her hand away from the door. Anora responded by scratching at his hand.

“No, Daddy, I pick! Grandpa like rice and nanas and ‘cubers’. We make that, okay?” Anora tugged a cucumber from the crisper drawer and set it on the floor as if gathering stock. Black Bolt brought it to the counter and nudged her out, nodding as if he agreed that he would make what she asked. At that moment he was too tired and stressed to try and argue with her. Once out of sight, he replaced the food she managed to drag out.

With the kitchen in less of a disastrous state, Black Bolt moved back into the living room to sit on the couch and rest for a bit. Medusa held Daryn on her lap so he could nurse while Anora and Ahura played some kind of game on the floor with a few of her dolls. At one point she used her telekinetic power to try and tug La-La from Daryn’s hand, whining that it was her turn. Daryn tightened his grip on his stuffed dog and continued nursing happily, tiny sighs and squeaks of content coming from him every few minutes. When he finished, he made no move to sit up. Instead he snuggled further into Medusa’s lap and yawned.

“Mommy, grandpa come tell us stories?”

Medusa brushed a lock of fiery orange hair from Daryn’s forehead. “Grandpa is sick, my love. He is resting right now, and he may be sick for a long time.”

“Maybe tomorrow he come tell us stories,” Daryn mused, blissfully unaware of how time worked.

“It may be some time before he feels well enough to tell stories, baby.” Medusa looked up to Black Bolt at the other end of the sofa, unsure how to explain such an illness to her youngest children. “Grandpa is very sick.”

“What if I give him La-La so he feel better?”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Medusa smiled at her boy, continuously combing her fingers through his hair. He needed a trim, as his hair was now long and unkempt most of the day. Daryn tried to keep himself awake but dozed off as Medusa stroked his cheek. Anora continued to play on the floor with her older brother until she yawned deeply and crawled into his lap for a nap of her own.


	7. Chapter 7

Mara blinked, disoriented, as she woke up. Where was she? She yawned and rubbed her eyes, heavy with fatigue, as she tried to remember what had happened that morning. She and Max had had breakfast in their apartment, she'd struggled to keep it down, and Max had tried to persuade her to stay home and rest while he came to check on his father, who was still in hospital, but she'd refused. They'd debated the matter, heatedly, until they'd compromised- Maximus would go across to New Attilan, and Mara would wait at the Quiet Room, to help Medusa with the young twins if needed, as Black Bolt was still in New Attilan. In truth, she hadn't actually seen much of Medusa, or the little twins, though she had greeted Ahura as he headed out... somewhere. He had signed something at her with a smile, but she didn't understand enough of his language to comprehend what he'd said. Then she'd come into this conference room, suddenly felt dizzy, had sat for a minute, resting her head on her arms....

She must've fallen asleep, she realized, sighing. It was happening a lot during the day now, as was the nausea in the mornings. She'd held off on telling Max because he had enough to deal with, with his father being sick, but she'd have to tell him soon, before it became obvious and he worked it out for himself. He'd be happy with the news... right?

"Why you sigh, Mara? You sad?" A little voice queried, and she nearly jumped out of the chair in shock, head whipping round. Both twins were there, hands joined, peering at her curiously.

"Why you sleeping in chair? You apposed to sleep in bed if you tired." Anora informed her seriously, as if she might not know this.

Daryn nodded. "Sleeping in chairs bad for post-cha, Uncle Karnak sayed."

Mara smothered a laugh- they were so earnest in their 'advice' it was adorable! She sat up and stretched, groaning a bit. "I didn't mean to fall asleep. I'm just very tired. Don't worry."

Daryn's little brow wrinkled. "Did you stay up late at night? Nora does that, an' then she sleeps too long."

"I do not!"

"Do too!"

"I suppose I did stay up too late," Mara interjected. It wasn't true, but she didn't want the twins bickering- not when she was worrried Anora's telekinesis might come into play. They were a lot of heavy items in this room. Without realising, she pressed a hand to her stomach again. Would her child be born with powers, as these two had been? He or she would be the twins' cousin...

Anora frowned. "You holding your tummy. You feels sick? Did you eated bad food?"

"I can get Mommy if you's ill," Daryn offered, looking as worried as his sister, their argument forgotten.

Mara shook her head. "No, it's alright." Medusa had been cordial to her lately, but her continued cold attitude towards Max had not made Mara like her that much, and though she tried to be friendly, she always got the impression the red-haired woman kept her at arms' length, even when she'd agreed to let her spend time with the little ones. Taking a deep breath, Mara stood up- and immediately clamped a hand to her mouth as her stomach churned. Unable to wait and explain to the twins, she ran to the nearest bathroom and retched, even though there was nothing in her stomach right now. When it passed, she was kneeling on the floor, a hand pressed to her sweaty brow. "Thanks a lot, baby," she muttered under her breath. She needed to get up and go check on the twins- two-year-olds shouldn't be left alone, after all- but the room spun when she tried to get up. She sucked in several deep breaths, waiting for the dizziness to pass, vaguely wondering if her symptoms were worse because the child she carried was an Inhuman- were human pregnancies easier?

"Mara?" Medusa's voice caught her off guard, and all she could do was turn her head. The Inhuman queen stood in the doorway, with the twins holding one hand each, both looking very worried.

 _Wonderful._  Mara scowled. _I finally get a chance to speak to Medusa and I'm sprawled on the floor, pasty white, having just thrown up and terrified her kids. I must look a right sight._

"We tolded you, Mommy. Mara sick." Daryn peered worriedly at Mara, biting his lip.

Anora nodded. "She need doctor. Can you get Vin-tos?"

"No, no." Mara mumbled, struggling to stand, using the sink for support. "I'm fine. I'm not ill."

Medusa eyed her shrwedly, intense green eyes raking over her figure before narrowing. "Anora, Daryn, can you... go get my phone? It's in Daddy's office. I need to call Vinatos."

"Yes, Mommy!" The twins chorused, (which Mara found a bit spooky, but Medusa didn't seem phased by) and they darted off, chattering, pleased to have an important job to do to help.

Once they were alone, Medusa's whole expression changed, becoming sharper, as if she was worried or angry. "How long have you known?"

Mara hesitated, wondering whether or not to admit anything. Surely Medusa didn't deserve to know about her pregnancy before Maximus did? "Know what?" She bluffed.

Medusa folded her arms. "Don't play the fool. Do you and Maximus plan to use this baby as an excuse to demand money or resources from us, to support yourselves? Is that why he agreed to stay here?"

Mara bristled, now truly fed up with her attitude. "No." Her teeth were clenched. Apparently there was no use denying the pregnancy, but she'd be damned if she let Medusa's bigotry towards Max continue! "Excuse me, but we're here because _you people_  insisted we come, and we're staying because Max is worried about his dad and because he wants to make amends for what he's done in the past." She held her hand up as Medusa went to reply. "I'm well aware you don't like or trust him, but for your information, he doesn't even know yet. I haven't got round to telling him, with everything that's gone on. And even if he did know, he wouldn't use our child as an excuse to take _anything_  from you or your husband."

Medusa's lips curled. "Are you certain? He's done worse. You've known him for mere months. I've known him for years. And I don't believe this 'change' will last."

Mara's hand suddenly itched with a desire to slap her. Hearing the twins returning, she just shook her head. "Get over yourself." She lowered her tone. "As soon as Agon recovers, Max and I will leave. Maybe that'll make you happy. You won't see us, or our child. We won't take anything from you. I just hope Black Bolt doesn't mind that _your_  attitude is keeping him from knowing his own niece or nephew." She turned and marched away, too incensed to listen to anything Medusa had to say right now.

One thing was obvious though- now she would _have_  to tell Max about the baby, as soon as possible, because Medusa would surely tell Black Bolt, and then word would spread. Max needed to hear it from her first.

She just hoped he took it well, and was happy they would soon have a family. But why wouldn't he be? It was good news, after all. Surely Max would be thrilled?

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

Sitting next to his father for much of the night drained Black Bolt’s energy reserves. He tried to meditate, but was unable to do so due to the constant beeping of machinery. At one point he dozed in the chair, but that was the most sleep he was able to acquire.

Agon woke about an hour after Black Bolt arrived, moaning as if in pain. Whenever he tried to speak, he sounded more like Ahura in pronunciation. Agon called for Rynda but it was so slurred Black Bolt did not immediately recognize it, and Agon did not appear to recognize Black Bolt at all. Vinatos assured him that for the first few days Agon would likely be delirious as his brain healed. Since then Agon would wake for a few minutes then doze off again.

Maximus found an unused medical device to take apart during times when Agon slept. He did not have a specific goal for it in mind, just something to distract himself for a while and keep his hands busy. If there was one thing he learned during his year of punishment, it was that keeping his hands busy also kept him out of trouble. There were few things he was allowed to tinker with during that year, and guards watched just about every move he made, but he was able to make little things he kept primarily for decoration.

It’d been a few days since he took the medication prescribed for him, but he figured a few days wouldn’t hurt. Maximus didn’t actively refuse to take it, he just kept forgetting to do so with all that happened. Between Agon falling ill and Mara being unwell randomly there were plenty of distractions. He didn’t feel any different, still had a clear head and was in control of how he felt. Maybe the year on the medication reset whatever was wrong with him and he no longer needed it.

Black Bolt started to annoy him, though. Maximus liked at least _some_ noise, but Black Bolt rarely made a sound as if his body were also mute rather than just his voice. “Brother, are you still alive?”

Maximus looked up from the device he tinkered with to meet Black Bolt’s confused gaze.

“You’ve hardly moved in the past hour, I was unsure if you were still among the living. Have you eaten?”

Black Bolt gestured as if shrugging off the thought. Nerves made eating difficult, and he simply did not feel hungry. He ate a quick snack that morning with his family, but he was eager to get back to the infirmary before the meeting with the lawyer later in the day.

Maximus requested something small for either of them to pick at as needed, then sat back in his chair to wait.

 

* * *

 

Medusa felt exhausted and overwhelmed without Black Bolt, as the twins tested her patience that morning. Anora woke up extremely early and crawled into bed with Medusa and Black Bolt, then refused to actually sleep. Her lack of sleep led to a short temper that Medusa just barely tolerated.

After breakfast, they had an appointment with the barber for Daryn’s haircut. The little boy _screamed_ from the first snip as if being tortured and tried to dart away, which the barber could not work with. To help Daryn see that the barber did not want to hurt him, Ahura agreed to get his own hair cut while Daryn sat on his lap. Daryn continued to whimper even while Ahura’s thick black hair fell away, but by the time it was his turn he calmed down significantly. It was hard for Medusa to watch her son lose his baby wisps, but his hair had grown unruly at that point. Now his wild orange hair sat closer to his scalp with enough on the top to comb over, while Ahura’s cut resembled his father’s.

Now she was trying to keep the twins focused on their task of putting away toys before the lawyer arrived. Medusa worried that their toys scattered around would cause him to trip, but the kids were more interested in playing with the toys than cleaning them. Putting them in time out resulted in a collective meltdown, but it was the only way for Medusa to get things picked up. Once they were allowed to leave, they were only allowed to play with the toys in their room and could not bring any outside of it. That rule lasted for about twenty minutes.

Black Bolt came home a few minutes before the lawyer arrived, so he felt somewhat unprepared. He meant to read over the documents before the meeting, but Agon woke briefly and Black Bolt wanted to stay until he fell back asleep again. Agon continued to ask for Rynda (“ _imnuh_ ”), though he did somewhat cooperate with Vinatos’ assessment. He lacked use of his right arm and leg, but he could at least turn his head to the right side. Agon also could not see much on his right side, or at least his brain did not recognize that anything was there. Vinatos assured him that he would do whatever he could to restore Agon’s functioning, but only time and psychical therapy would show how much that would be.

When the lawyer arrived and knocked on the door, the twins raced to open it. Anora used her telekinesis to drag a chair over with her, scraping it across the floor loudly. As soon as the knob turned she pushed it back out of her way and opened the door. “Mommy, someone here!”

Medusa went to the door to urge the kids back inside and welcome the lawyer. He held his hand out in front of him and continued to stand in the doorway. “Hello, my name is Matthew Murdock. Am I in the right place? I wasn’t sure if I had the right door.”

“Yes, please come in, Mr. Murdock,” she said as she used her hair to redirect the kids. “Please excuse my children, they love visitors.”

Murdock stepped inside with his red and white cane gently tapping the carpet in front of him. His black suit and dark red tie were in precise order, his hair slicked over with the same precision. The only thing about Murdock that Medusa found odd was that despite his pristine clothing and hair, he kept stubble on his chin and jaw.

“Thank you for coming, Mr. Murdock. My husband is with us as well, and our oldest son is in his room.”

Black Bolt stood and knocked on the table so Murdock could pinpoint his location. He did the same with Reader, at least when the Quiet Room was empty enough that a knock could be heard. Murdock looked in his direction. “King Black Bolt? And Queen Medusa?”

There was a brief pause. “Black Bolt says that our given names are fine, no need for formalities here,” Medusa translated. “Would you like to have a seat, Mr. Murdock?”

“‘Matt’ is fine, thank you. Point me in the right direction?”

Medusa quickly looked to Black Bolt, unsure what to say. “About thirty degrees to your left and ten feet forward or so is our dining table. Please choose whichever seat you would like.”

Murdock adjusted his direction and strolled forward with an almost alarming amount of confidence. “I didn’t stay long downstairs in the bar area, but it sounded nice. Quiet but busy.”

“Wednesday nights are typically the least busy night of the week. Come back on Saturday and you won’t be able to move.”

The lawyer flashed a grin as he pulled apart his cane so it would collapse into a smaller bundle. He then set his briefcase on the table next to him and was about to open it when he felt something tug at his cane. A tiny voice came from below his right ear.

“What this thing for?”

“Anora Boltagon! Leave that alone,” Medusa cried, a lock of hair reaching out to nab Anora’s hand.

“It’s alright,” Matt waved away, holding the cane out for the little girl to take it. “This helps me know if something is in front of me or if I’m walking into something dangerous, since I can’t see where I’m going.”

“Why you don’t see where you going?”

“I’m blind. I’m unable to see.” Matt was patient with Anora, despite the intrusive questioning. He truthfully preferred if people just asked their questions than hold it in until curiosity made them crack. A second voice came from his right as well, that of a boy.

“Like Reader? He don’t see.”

“Reader is an Inhuman our family knows who is also blind,” Medusa clarified. “And that was Daryn speaking to you.”

“Yes, I suppose like Reader.”

Daryn came around to the other side of Matt’s chair as if searching for something under the table.

“Where your dog? Reader has Forey, he’s a good dog. He gived me kisses one time.”

Matt chuckled at the kids, his face lightening. “I never had a dog. But maybe I can meet Forey sometime.”

Medusa used her hair to shuffle the kids away once again. “Mommy and daddy need to talk with Mr. Murdock, I need you two to play with your toys in the living room, please.” The twins ambled off again, holding hands all the way to the toy chest in their room. After choosing a handful of toys, they dragged their selections out into the living room to play.

“Again, please excuse our children for their questions. They are very curious but still learning tact.”

Matt held up his hand again and waved away her comment. “No problem whatsoever, they did not mean anything by it. So, shall we get started? I will say up front, though, immigration law is not something I am an expert in.”

“Mister Kensington recommended you, since you work with non-humans frequently. We are not very familiar with immigration, only what we needed for green cards.”

Matt pulled out a thick folder of Braille forms, none of which contained any printed text. Black Bolt watched in fascination as Murdock’s hands and fingers flew over the pages, flipping through them until he found he page he wanted. “Yourselves and your son already have green cards, from what I’ve been told. It’s the younger kids that are causing problems with the border agents?”

Medusa nodded, then mentally slapped herself. “Yes, that is correct. We were told that since they were born here in the apartment they are automatically citizens, but we did not register them at birth with any human organization. Mister Kensington believes that a judge would deny them citizenship based on their appearances; since Inhuman infants grow much faster than humans, they seem older than they actually are.”

“And since they look older, a judge would suspect they’ve been here longer than you’re claiming,” Matt finished. “Did Kensington give you a form that says DS-11 on the top right?”

Black Bolt flipped through the stack of pages and knocked on the table when he found it.

“This form is about proof of citizenship and what they will accept. Do your children have a birth certificate or any kind of paperwork from a doctor that attended?”

“Their doctor did not see them for a few hours after their birth; Black Bolt delivered both of them. And Inhumans do not keep birth certificates, only digital data. Their records are in Tilan, a human would not be able to read it.”

Matt’s hands skimmed further down the page and onto the next. “That should be sufficient, so long as they can find someone to translate it. And if I’m understanding this correctly, you’ll also be submitting a few different forms for them. Since they have no birth certificate on file, you’ll need some type of historical evidence around the time of their birth.”

“Historical evidence?”

Matt read a little further. “Any kind of dated paperwork or artifact. So the records their doctor keeps would do the trick. You’ll use that to obtain a Letter Of No Record, along with an affidavit.”

Black Bolt read through the papers once again, scanning for pertinent information. As he did so he heard a door open and looked to see Ahura somewhat disheveled from a nap. Daryn looked up from his toys and went to Ahura for a hug.

“Our son just left his room,” Medusa announced. Matt looked in the direction of the doorway with a curious expression, almost like he was mentally searching for something. “He’s deaf.”

Matt’s face lit up again, like he suddenly remembered what he was searching for. Ahura set Daryn down and came to the table.

“ _Is this the lawyer?_ ”

Medusa nodded. “Mister Murdock, Ahura would like to shake your hand.”

Matt held out his hand once again to his right where he heard Ahura move. As soon as their hands touched, Matt smiled widely. “Hello, Ahura.”

“Hi,” he grunted in return. Most of Ahura’s verbal vocabulary consisted of monosyllabic words. He plopped himself into the seat available and wrestled his phone from the pocket of his pajama bottoms, flicking through the apps to message Irelle and not really paying attention to the proceedings at the table.

Matt returned to his forms. “Black Bolt, if you don’t mind, how much revenue does your bar generate per year?”

Medusa spoke for him. “Black Bolt says after taxes and costs associated with running, about $3 million profit. Much of it we invest in New Attilan, about 75% or so. We don’t keep much of it; Attilan’s currency was more of a barter and ration system instead of money so when the city became New Attilan it needed money to adapt.”

“It’s possible a judge may want to see your financial statements.”

“We can get them, I have an accountant hired that does our bookkeeping.”

Matt nodded again and skimmed further down the page. “Just out of curiosity, have your kids ever attended school? Some of the artifacts they’ll accept are school records.”

Medusa briefly squeezed Ahura’s fingers and repeated the question so he would be in the conversation. Instead of responding to the question, he asked Matt if he would mind if Ahura moved his hand. Unsure of the reason, he felt Ahura move his right hand so it rested on top of Ahura’s left. Then Ahura answered the question for Medusa to translate, allowing Matt to know when Ahura was signing.

“ _I went to a human school for a while, when I was younger. Mom teaches me everything now. The twins have a few short lessons every day._ ”

It was a technique Ahura learned at the Deaf school for students who were Deafblind; other students could sign to them if the hands of the Deafblind student covered the others. Some students who had enough vision to somewhat see did the same to help them track the direction of the signer’s hands. To Matt it felt strange, especially having someone else’s skin against his own. Not only that, Matt debated telling Ahura about their past meeting.

“I believe we have met before, Ahura. You were going by something else at the time, though,” Matt suggested, his face searching for a distant memory once again. “And you lived with someone else.”

Ahura bobbed his fist up and down into Matt’s palm in agreement. “ _I lived with Norm and Verna Adams until I was about eight; how did you know that?_ ”

Matt smiled widely. “Do you remember a man in a red suit? Right before you left and returned to Attilan.”

Ahura bobbed his fist again. “ _Yes, he helped Gorgon and Karnak find me._ ”

Black Bolt and Medusa sat stock still. They knew a third party helped Gorgon and Karnak locate their son, but never the identity of the individual. Only the name he went by: Daredevil.

Ahura sputtered and left his hands dangling in the air, completely at a loss for words as he understood the bemused grin on Matt’s face. Medusa’s braid went slack as if she suddenly did not have control over it. “ _You’re_ Daredevil?”

“Yup, that was me. Still is me, actually, though only a few people know.”

“But _how?_ How is it possible? I thought you are blind.” Medusa looked over to her son and gripped his forearm, as Ahura suddenly looked pale.

“Yes, I am blind. But there are other ways to see,” Matt listened to Medusa’s hands interpreting what he said for Ahura. “The accident that blinded me heightened my other senses; I can piece together all of that information to help me navigate the world. I don’t actually _see_ anything, I just use the sensations around me to create a mental image.”

Ahura let go of Matt’s hand and sat back in his chair. He resisted the urge to grab his phone and text Verna to tell her the news, but he hesitated. Matt said that few people knew of his identity, and Ahura did not want to give that information to others. He knew what it was like to live something of a double-life; sometimes his family tried to blend in with humans as they travelled to make getting from one place to another easier. At least they tried.

“How are your...uncles?” Matt looked directly at Ahura, which he suddenly found disconcerting.

“Cousins,” Medusa answered, as Ahura still did not know what to say. His brain was still catching up with the news that the lawyer helping his family with immigration was also the man who helped bring Ahura home. “Karnak and Gorgon are well. Gorgon has a son of his own now, and Karnak is...Karnak.”

Matt snorted through his nose. “From what I remember of them, they were both bickered back and forth at each other.”

“They’ve done so since their first meeting as infants.”

“I can believe it,” laughed Matt. He straightened the pile of forms in front of him once again as if recalibrating. “Alright then, let’s take a look at some of the additional forms you’ll need.”

 

* * *

 

Matt left the family about two hours later, though they finished combing through the immigration paperwork in about 45 minutes. Medusa made a list of what documents or artifacts the court would accept, then invited Matt to stay for dinner. The twins loved the idea, but Matt had another meeting to attend downtown and had to leave.

After dinner, Ahura finally texted Norm only to say he missed them. He thought about asking if he could see them again, since the last time he saw them they were interrupted by a family emergency on Verna’s side. That was a few months ago, and he was anxious to see them again. They were still yet to meet Irelle and since Black Bolt’s attentions we’re focused on Agon and the twins’ immigration snag, Ahura felt somewhat forgotten.

Daryn hauled himself onto the couch to sit next to Ahura as he focused on his phone. Medusa hated when Ahura did so but sometimes it was easier to keep the twins occupied by pulling up a list of dog videos for them to watch, especially videos about average-sized English bulldogs that Daryn called “puppy Lockjaws.” The twins had very little impulse control in regards to things they wanted, so neither cared that Ahura was trying to send a message when Anora tried to yank the phone away. She telekinetically threw a plastic toy at him when Ahura said no, which landed her in time out and an early bedtime. Daryn tried to be somewhat diplomatic about wanting to play on the phone by holding Ahura’s arm so he could show his big brother what he wanted, so after Ahura finished his messages he set the phone up to play dog videos that Daryn already saw.

At the table, Medusa and Black Bolt finished discussing the next few days as they coordinated Agon’s care. The Quiet Room remained open, and Medusa ran what she could during the day, but Flagman would need a day or two off in the near future. According to Vinatos, Agon responded well to medicines and answered questions though he did not know many specifics. Agon knew his own name and title, but not the current year or date. He still believed that Rynda was alive, and called for her frequently.

There was another matter that needed to be discussed, and Medusa did not know if it was her place to bring it up with Black Bolt. She tapped her long nails on a mug of tea she was able to make that tasted similar to one found in Attilan, her thoughts spinning faster than she could control. Black Bolt, after dealing with Anora screeching at him for the injustice of being in time out, covered her hand with his own.

“ _What is on your mind?_ ”

Medusa inhaled deeply and looked to ensure her sons were focused on the phone and not paying attention to their parents. “We have something to discuss about Maximus.”

“ _What did he do now?_ ”

“It’s his woman, actually. Well, Maximus was apart of it, certainly.”

“ _Just tell me._ ”

“She’s pregnant, Blackagar.”

Black Bolt’s facial expression didn’t change. He looked to Medusa with something of a blank stare, trying to determine if he truly felt surprised or not. On one hand, the idea of Maximus having a child did not surprise him as Black Bolt was fairly certain he had multiple nieces and nephews scattered around the world that Maximus never claimed. On the other hand, this child was conceived with a woman Maximus clearly cared about.

Black Bolt was also mentally _exhausted._ With Agon falling ill, the twins under scrutiny of the United States government, running his business, and trying to keep his son in line, Black Bolt had nothing left to give. He felt overwhelmed and increasingly unsure of his ability to handle all of it at once.

Medusa could feel her husband’s mental processing grind to a halt under the sheer weight of all his responsibilities. She listened to his thoughts for a few moments and stopped him by stroking the back of his hand.

“One crisis at a time, Blackagar. The forms for the twins will go out tomorrow, there’s nothing for us to do tonight. And Agon is in good hands. Relax, my love.”

“ _The child will have no title unless Maximus marries its mother._ ”

Medusa nodded, but remained unconvinced that Black Bolt was worried primarily about the child’s legitimacy and nobility. She could see that Maximus cared for Mara but he never spoke of marriage or lineage at all, at least not in the presence of Medusa. “Mara is not very far along in her pregnancy; she is not even showing yet.”

“ _Does Maximus know?_ ”

“I’m not certain. Vinatos will need to know soon; a child of an Inhuman and a Nuhuman will need monitoring as there are few studies done. And a child of Maximus may not be the most stable.”

Black Bolt nodded, massaging his temples. That was the same line the Genetic Council used when Medusa was pregnant with Ahura. Additionally, if Ahura and the twins developed powers sans terrigenesis, there was the possibility that this child would as well.

Daryn broke him of his concentration by trying to crawl onto Black Bolt’s lap. “Daddy, Hura said his turn but the video not done yet.”

“It’s his phone, my love. He gets to say who can and cannot use it.”

The idea that Ahura could have his own wants and plans with the phone baffled Daryn. “But my video not finished. I watched a puppy Lockjaw video and the puppy runned in circles.”

“Haven’t you already seen that one?”

“Yes but I watched it again.”

Black Bolt snorted through his nose and touched his forehead to Daryn’s temple. He needed a break, and his son’s simplistic toddler understanding of the universe was a welcome distraction from the growing list of crises to handle.

“Tell Daddy about the puppies you saw,” Medusa prompted to keep Daryn engaged. The little boy rattled on about the videos he saw, most of which Black Bolt was not sure if it was the same video or if Daryn was describing multiple dogs.

The technique worked, and soon enough Daryn tired himself out on dogs. He then requested paper and colored pencils, scribbling away with occasional comments about what he drew. “I drawed a picture for grandpa. See? This Lockjaw and this La-La.”

Medusa looked at the various brown circles that apparently represented Lockjaw and Daryn’s favorite toy. “Tomorrow we will take this to grandfather, he’ll love it.”


	9. Chapter 9

Maximus sat at Agon's bedside, squirming uneasily. He knew it was a good thing that his father was awake more now, as he was at this very moment, and had regained enough hand movement to be able to squeeze once for yes, twice for no, in order to answer questions. From this basic communication, they had discerned that Agon now knew where he was and who most of them were, but he still tired remarkably quickly, and had not regained sufficient control of his body to speak. He could write, but barely legibly. Thus, Maximus really wasn't sure what good visits with him were doing, as they had no way to really communicate, but Black Bolt came by almost daily, and Maximus would be damned if he let his brother prove he was better than him by spending more time with their father. That and Agon did seem to find comfort in the visits, always smiling when Maximus (or Black Bolt) came into view.

The main problem was Maximus had no idea what to say. Idle conversation wasn't his strong point, and Agon sitting there, helpless in that bed, watching, as if waiting for him to speak, was, though he hated to admit it, somewhat irritating. His father's eyes never left him, and it made him uncomfortable. What did Agon _want_?

He was relieved when Ahura showed up a while later, his lover Irelle in tow. Bolting to his feet, he greeted his nephew hastily, before turning to leave, eager to get away from that room, away from his prone father and the sense of expectation, the atmosphere of Agon waiting for something that Maximus didn't understand and couldn't help with.

"Max...." The slurred, distorted word was barely understandable, but it had clearly come from Agon. Maximus half turned back to look at his father, then clenched his fists. It was wonderful that Agon was attempting to speak, but he couldn't take any more, he had to get out of there. He didn't want to hear his father struggling to speak like an infant, and couldn't face the condemnation he just _knew_  would be in his father's eyes, because he couldn't find a way to fix this. He couldn't fix anything. He left without looking back.

He all but ran back to the apartment he and Mara were currently staying in, desperate for the equilibrium he only felt in her presence. She would reassure him his fears were groundless, convince him he was more than the failure he kept thinking he was. He toyed with the idea of telling her he had missed a few doses of his medication, but decided against it- he felt fine, he hadn't fallen back into his old ways, and why start a dispute over nothing? It was senseless to keep taking medication he no longer felt he needed, and that was what Mara's advice would be, he knew. No, he'd keep quiet, and as soon as he thought he was having problems, he'd resume taking the pills. But for now, he was fine.

He slipped into their apartment, a grin spreading on his face as he considered sneaking up on Mara and surprising her with a hug. But he hadn't gotten two steps inside before he heard her coughing and retching. Forgetting his joke, he ran to her side, heart pounding.

"Mara?"

She waved him away, staggering to her feet, flushing the toilet, then aking her way, unsteadily, to the kitchen and pouring herself a glass of water. As she sipped, slowly, Maximus guided her to the sofa, noting how pale she was. Was she ill? This wasn't the first time she'd been sick lately... Now that he thought about it, he realized it'd happened a lot over the past few weeks, but he had barely noticed. He sat next to her, putting his arm round her shoulders.

"You OK?"

She nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. "I'm fine. This sort of thing is normal."

Normal? Maximus blinked. "What?"

Mara bit her lip, then turned to face him with a tremulous smile. "I guess it's time I told you." She paused. "You're going to be a father. I'm pregnant."

Maximus froze, unable to form a coherent thought. Her words went round in his head, not sinking in. _Father... pregnant... baby._.. Slowly, the words registered and a grin spread over his face. A child! His and Mara's... He leaned in to kiss her, holding her close, brimming with joy. "We're going to have a family?" He could hardly believe it. This was amazing!

Mara laughed, sounding relieved. "You're happy? I was worried you'd...."

"Ssh, of course I'm happy." He squeezed her hand. "Have you been to a healer? I don't know if you've been eating the correct diet for pregnancy... how long will it be until it's born?" He leaped to his feet. "We need to decorate a room for the baby... unless we can go home to Minnesota first.... unless you wanted the baby born here... I suppose it would be fair to have the child born in New Attilan, except then we'd have to deal with the citizenship mess that Black Bolt and Medusa are having... And we need to choose a name! Do you know if it'll be a boy or a girl? Do you _want_  a boy or a girl? I don't know which would be better-"

Mara burst out laughing. "Max! Calm down. I think you're in shock, you're babbling." She shook her head, tears of mirth streaming from her eyes. "Come sit down and we can talk. _Relax_."

Grinning ruefully as he realized how silly he'd sounded, he did as she asked. They cuddled up together as they began to talk things out, full of nervous anticipation for the beginnings of their family.

 

* * *

 

Over a month had passed since Mara had told Max the good news, and while at first he had seemed thrilled, as the pregnancy progressed and Mara began showing more and more, he became agitated and withdrew from her, and had less and less to do with his father, brother and the rest of his family, wanting only to be with Mara, alone in their apartment, but never wanting to talk about the baby or their future. His sole focus seemed to be on her, not the child. This worried her, but she put a brave face on it. He was probably just nervous about being a father. Mara knew that Agon, for all his good intentions, had not been the best parent, so what example did Max have, really? No wonder he was unsure. On top of that, he had never been around a baby, let alone had to take care of one (not counting that incident when his illness had led him to kidnap little Daryn, well over a year ago now.) It wasn't surprising that he didn't really want to talk about the practicalities of caring for a newborn, even though (according to Vinatos) Mara was over three months along, and by Inhuman standards, the birth should be any day now. The healer had admitted he didn't know how Mara's human heritage might change things though. She was an Inhuman, but her family weren't, so there was no real way to judge how long her pregnancy might last. He _had_  revealed, at this latest scan, that the baby was a girl. Mara had already decided on the name Maeve, after her Irish grandmother. She hadn't discussed it with Max, but Vinatos had asked what name the child would have, so she'd told him. And if Maximus didn't like it, tough! If he'd wanted input in their daughter's name, he should have been here with her.

The baby kicked as Mara walked back to their apartment. She winced, rubbing her stomach, half hoping this baby would hurry up and be born, because she was in a lot of pain from the rapid growth the child had gone through. She'd been reassured by Vinatos (and Medusa when she'd come to the apartment to visit her, mess-making twins in tow) that this was normal for an Inhuman, but it didn't make things any easier for Mara. Another thing irritating her was Maximus- he'd promised he'd come to the scan (after she'd pleaded with him) but then he simply hadn't shown up. Just as he'd wanted less and less to do with her as she tried to prepare for their baby's birth. Not long after she'd told him about the baby, he'd asked her to marry him, and she'd balked at the idea. It seemed like he was only asking because of the baby- the subject had never come up before, and she didn't want to get married _just_  because of the baby. Most marriages that happened that way ended badly. She'd asked him to wait until after the birth, and when the child was here, if he really wanted to marry her, she'd happily say yes. Looking back, that was about when distance had started growing between them. He'd seemed fine with her decision at the time, but now... Mara could barely remember how close they'd once been. She clenched her teeth as she went inside, determined to have it out with him once and for all.

"Max?" She closed the door behind her, hearing movement in their room. At least he was home. But then _why_  hadn't he come to the scan as he'd promised?

"In here." Maximus' voice sounded cheerful, and whereas normally that would make Mara smile, today it just made her teeth clench in anger. She found him sitting on the floor, surrounded by bits and pieces of machinery. The room looked like a bomb had hit it. There were even tools lying in the brand-new crib she'd bought for the baby.

Her fists clenched. "What are you doing?"

"Just fooling around, seeing how many things I can make." Maximus' voice suggested he didn't have a care in the world.

Mara's blood boiled. "I'm glad you're having fun! Forget something, by any chance?!"

He looked up, blinking at her owlishly. "I... don't think so..."

Mara dragged in a deep breath. "You promised me you'd come along to the scan today."

"Oh, that. I forgot. Sorry."

Mara nearly screamed in anger, making Maximus jump to his feet, eyes wide with alarm. "Well, excuse me for thinking that our daughter's wellbeing might actually be important to you!"

He raised a brow. "Is something wrong?"

"No- well, we're still not sure when she'll be born, but-"

"Then there's no reason for me to be concerned, is there? If it's healthy."

"Max, the point is you _promised_  you'd be there, and now I find you here messing with your gadgets like they're the _most_  important thing-"

Maximus' eyes had already flitted back to the mess of cogs and wires on the carpet.

Mara grabbed him by the shoulder, shaking him. "You're not even listening to me!"

He glared at her. "And what do you want me to say?"

"You could at least show some interest in our baby!"

His eyes darkened. "Ours? Huh. Funny that, since you refused to marry me to make it legitimate, and since then _it_  is the only thing you care about. We haven't had time to be ourselves since you told me about it!"

Mara opened her mouth, then closed it again, utterly stunned to hear him talk about their baby in that tone. He hadn't seemed enthusiastic lately about becoming a parent, but this..... "What's _happened_ to you? You're not the man I fell for." She shook her head, not waiting for his reply, brushing past him, to raid their bedside cabinet for the digestive biscuits she'd stashed in there to satiate her constant hunger. Pulling the packet of biscuits into her hand, she went to slam the drawer shut, when a gleam of silver caught her eye. Frowning, she peered into the drawer- and froze.

The metallic packaging of the tablets Maximus was meant to take daily lay in the drawer. It was half buried, and as she picked it up, she shivered. These had been issued before they came to New Attilan, judging by how battered the packaging was, and yet they had barely been used. There were at least 40 tablets here, over a month's worth. Her blood ran cold. Had he not been taking them? Was that why he had acted so strangely lately?

She whirled to face him, tablets in hand. "You've been ignoring your medication!" She sounded angry, but her heart pounded. She'd never known Max in the grip of his illness... how would he react now?

He stood up again, once more abandoning his 'project'. "I've been fine. I don't need them any more."

Mara took a deep breath, not liking the look in his eyes. "Max, you _know_  you need to take them. For your own sake." She kept her voice calm and even.

He stepped closer, eyes narrowing. "That's what they said when they gave me them. but you know me, I've been fine since we met, haven't I?" He smiled, but there was a dangerous edge to it. "Don't you see? Having you made me better! I don't need those noxious things poisoning me any more. Being with you made me well!" His eyes were gleaming maniacally, and Mara felt a shiver run down her spine. She edged away from him, suddenly feeling like she was looking at a stranger, and wanting desperately to protect her baby.

"You understand, don't you?" Maximus moved closer, reaching for her. "My family... they want me to take those things so they can control me. It's not medicine to make me better. They want me to be ill!" He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "They'll take you away from me too, if they can. They hate me."

Mara swallowed hard, trying to stop her hands from shaking. She needed to get out of here, alert someone that Maximus had become unhinged again... "OK, Max, I s-see-"

"Give me those things. I'm going to destroy them. Then no-one will know I haven't been taking them. We can go home to Minnesota and be free, like we were before."

The baby kicked and twisted, making Mara grimace in pain. She thought fast. Maximus wasn't well, but he wouldn't hurt her- from what he was saying, he thought she was on his side. She took a step towards the door. "I'll get rid of them. Don't worry." She tried to smile.

He shook his head, grabbing her by the arm. "No, no no, you can't leave. You have to stay with me."

Mara winced at his grip. "Max, you're hurting me. I'm going to get rid of the pills, like you wanted me to."

His face twisted into something unreconizable. "Liar. You're going to run to my brother, tell him I figured out his game. I thought you understood me, but you're just like them!"

He gave her a brutal shove, and she fell, clutching her stomach out of blind instinct, hoping the baby wouldn't be hurt when she hit the floor. She managed to twist, so her belly didn't actually take any of the impact, but that movement made something tear inside her, and pain flooded her body. She couldn't suppress a scream. Then she felt dampness between her legs, soaking her clothes and the floor. She put a trembling hand out, and it came back red.

Pain tore through her again, and she looked at Maximus desperately, looking for any hint of the man she'd been with, inside the madness. Maximus stared at her, frozen, like he had no idea what was even going on.

"Max... please... get a healer."

He nodded jerkily, like a puppet, and ran for his phone. Mara felt faint, only hearing snatches of words.

"....Medusa.... Mara had a fall... the baby... need... Vinatos... blood... placental abruption..." Maximus sounded utterly panicked but Mara could barely concentrate. His words faded in and out, making little sense. Blood still flowed from her, but it felt removed, unimportant. She just prayed the baby would be alright, that her daughter would survive.

"Maeve..." She whispered softly. "My baby... I can't wait to meet you."

Her vision went out of focus, even as she dimly heard voices and footsteps thundering into the apartment. They'd be OK now... "Save Maeve." She tried to say as loudly as she could, even though she couldn't see who had their hands on her right now. "Maeve.... my baby..."

 


	10. Chapter 10

The day before the Boltagons were to meet with a judge to settle the immigration issue, Medusa decided the family needed a break. Over the past week tempers flared easily, Black Bolt’s stress wore him into the ground, and Medusa had little patience for Ahura disappearing without notice. After some convincing, Medusa had Lockjaw teleport them to an isolated beach. Gorgon, Triton, Crystal, and Luna joined as well.

They had to borrow many of the necessary items for swimming, as Medusa did not know what clothes were considered swimming attire versus regular clothing. Reed and Sue Richards, whose own children were somewhat older than the twins, gave Medusa their kids’ old swimming suits for the twins to wear in the water. Ahura wore an old pair of thin shorts, figuring those could work as swimming trunks.

Arriving at the beach, the twins immediately kicked and stomped on the sand, unused to such loose flooring. A calm breeze sprayed ocean water at their faces, while birds swooped and dived a few meters out into the sea. Triton appeared to relax as if he just stepped into his own house, striding into the shore of the water like he owned it.

Gorgon and Black Bolt stayed further back on the beach. Black Bolt could swim, quite well actually, but he simply was not ready to go into the water just yet. He wanted to listen to the waves break along the shore for a while and meditate if possible. Gorgon hated the ocean, and made no qualms at letting people know.

Ahura and Luna waded into the water after Triton, trying to coax the twins into following. The smaller kids ambled up to the shore as the water receded, squishing the muddy sand in their toes, then scurried back when the tide approached as if being chased.

Seated under the shade of a tree, Black Bolt and Medusa watched their children play. With so much stress happening over the past few months, Black Bolt felt like he forgot the sound of his children’s laughter. Of course the twins had no idea what any of the immigration issues meant, or why exactly grandpa could only use one hand, but they could feel the tension all the various problems caused. When Agon didn’t immediately recognize the twins the first time they visited, Black Bolt felt like he’d been stabbed in the gut. Agon could now recognize them, though sometimes he mixed up their names. The various pictures and scribbles the twins drew for him littered the walls but it gave him something to look at during the day, even though he often forgot what the drawings depicted.

Lockjaw plopped himself down in the sand and rolled over onto his side for the sun to warm his belly. As most bulldogs, Lockjaw had difficulty rolling over onto his back easily as his stubby legs made it hard for him to push himself all the way over. After running back and forth at the tide for a while, Daryn snuggled up against Lockjaw’s rib cage to play in the sand and draw shapes with a stick he found while Anora continued to chase Luna along the shore. Neither twin actually went into the water just yet, preferring to stay somewhat close to mommy and daddy for now.

“I’ve missed this,” Medusa mused aloud. “Just us being a family, without all the demand.”

Black Bolt rubbed Medusa’s arm, nodding in agreement.

“Do you ever think about just giving everything up, Blackagar? All of our responsibilities so we could just raise our children in peace?”

Black Bolt did not answer immediately. He pondered for a moment what they would be like as a regular Inhuman family but could only think of grim scenarios; without the clout of royalty one of the twins would’ve been removed from their care in accordance with the decree, Black Bolt would most likely have been destroyed the moment his voice brought down a building as an infant. He might have never even met Medusa if they were not royalty.

He thought about the first year out of his anechoic chamber, and how he was limited in going outside. The artificial lighting of his chamber did not provide the same nutrients or energy as the actual sun, thus Black Bolt’s skin was not prepared for natural sunlight. The first day he spent outside his skin burned, blistering his neck and arms. The full-body suit he wore primarily kept his powers in check, but it also prevented the sun from burning through his porcelain pale skin. After the first year he was acclimated to natural light but he always remained relatively pale compared to Medusa.

“Look,” Medusa nudged. “Daryn is becoming brave.”

Black Bolt searched the beach for his youngest, who stood at the edge of the shore with his arms outstretched towards Triton. Triton coaxed Daryn closer to the water, close enough that he could pick the little boy up and gently swim further out. Daryn latched onto Triton like a vise as he water surrounded them both, slapping at the water’s surface and the white bubbles that formed. Black Bolt was too far to hear what Triton said to Daryn but he assumed it was words of comfort as Daryn appeared to relax when he realized he was safe in Triton’s arms.

Anora looked out at her brother and shook her head when Triton called to her. A rare moment when the personalities of the twins reversed: typically Anora was the headstrong one willing to jump into anything while Daryn was cautious and timid. Triton held Daryn by his waist but slightly outward, encouraging him to kick his tiny feet. It was the same way Triton taught Ahura how to swim, by teaching in increments.

Despite Daryn’s bravery, he was not ready to dunk himself under the water just yet. He rarely did so during bath time, so Medusa was not surprised. He did splash at Ahura when close enough, leading Ahura to gently flick water at his little brother to retaliate. Triton showed Daryn how to make a larger splash with his arms while Ahura dramatically paddled away to “escape.”

Anora toddled over to the shade with Black Bolt and Medusa, a large leaf in her hand. “Look, mommy, I finded a huge leaf.”

“I see you found a huge leaf; what are you going to do with it?”

Anora crawled in between mommy and daddy, completely oblivious to any sort of personal space. “I dunno. Maybe we can give it to Auntie Mara’s baby. Auntie Mara said she don’t got any toys for the baby yet.”

Medusa tucked some of Anora’s stringy red locks behind her ear. “The baby won’t be able to play with any toys for a few weeks, but Mara will like your leaf.” Medusa still had to bite her tongue at the twins calling her ‘auntie.’

Anora set her leaf on top of her small towel and folded it under the cloth so it would stay in place. “Mommy, when the baby comes out, will it live with us?”

“No, my love,” Medusa chuckled. “The new baby will live with Mara and Maximus.”

“Will it get borned in New Attilan?”

“I’m not sure. You and Daryn were not born in New Attilan.”

Anora scrunched her face, as she believed _all_ babies, Inhuman and human alike, were born in New Attilan. “Where were we borned?”

“You were born in our apartment, early in the morning. You were in such a hurry that Vinatos had not even arrived yet.”

Black Bolt leaned back on his elbow and looked out into the sea to check on his sons. Ahura was ducking under the water for a few seconds and springing back up to playfully tease Daryn, who still latched onto Triton.

“Tomorrow when we see the judge,” Anora pondered aloud, “maybe if Lockjaw gives him kisses he will like us more.”

Medusa smiled at her little girl, unsure how much she understood of the court process. They sat down with the twins a few days ago during their usual lesson time to describe what would happen in the court room, and they seemed to understand what a judge did. At the time they did, at least. Medusa also explained some of the reasons behind the meeting, although neither twin seemed to grasp the idea of citizenship.

Luna dashed up to the patch of grass Medusa and Black Bolt sat in, kicking sand everywhere. “Anora, lets go look for seashells! I found a bunch near those rocks over there.”

Anora immediately scrambled to her feet, forgetting the conversation with Medusa entirely. Medusa told the two to stay on their side of the rocks where she could see them, then checked every few minutes to make sure the children could be seen. She called out to them once for going too far.

Black Bolt inhaled deeply, the smell of sea salt filling his lungs. The water surrounding New Attilan was ugly, brown, and smelled of sewage; nothing like the beautiful deep blue of the ocean. He had no idea where this particular beach resided, or how far away Lockjaw took them from civilization. He was fine with that. The past few hours were the most relaxed he’d felt in weeks.

 

* * *

 

Their court date arrived, seemingly a typical day. New Yorkers milled about and went to work like they usually did, taxis and cars polluted the air with their horns, tourists jam-packed the subway station. Medusa and Black Bolt hardly slept; they spent much of the night preparing for the absolute worst. Both Kensington and Murdock assured them that the judge had no reason to deny the twins their citizenship, but according to Murdock the particular judge overseeing their case was one of the most ardent anti-non-human in the city.

They dressed conservatively, without the Boltagon insignia. Ahura dressed in his black coat and pale blue shirt, so pale it almost appeared white at times. For the twins, Medusa strategically dressed them in clothes somewhat larger than what they normally wore. In doing so she hopped to make them appear younger and closer to their chronological age. Daryn wore a dark green polo shirt and khaki pants, and Anora in a pink and purple flowery dress with leggings. Armed with a few toys and books to keep the twins occupied during the proceedings, the family set out to the courthouse.

They took the train downtown to meet Norm and Verna, then to the courthouse via Lockjaw as a group. Medusa asked if they would mind the children during the proceedings, and Ahura wanted to see his Earth-parents again anyway. Ahura usually had an air of bravado and assurance but Medusa knew he was worried; he was still Medusa’s little boy who needed to know she was there when he felt nervous.

After passing through a metal detector, the Boltagons searched the directory for their assigned courtroom and head to the second floor. Compared to the first floor, the second floor felt deserted. They met with a deputy officer standing outside their room and waited to be shown in. Daryn held fast to Black Bolt, shy around so many important looking people. Anora was also somewhat overwhelmed and held Medusa’s hand tightly.

The deputy led them up to their table, with Ahura, Norm, and Verna seated in the gallery directly behind them. Off to the left in a dark suit stood the interpreter provided by the court; Ahura originally wanted Rila for the proceedings but Rila’s specialty was not legal interpreting. The twins were too small for the table and were too short to see over the gallery half-wall, so they sat on Norm and Verna’s laps.

A commotion occurred outside in the hallway, growing louder until the doors opened. Vinatos stalked through the doors, his huge yellow eyes covered by a pair of orange goggles he wore if he left New Attilan during the day. He rarely ventured outside New Attilan, as he abhorred mingling amongst humans without reason. The sun also roasted his thin green skin, and he preferred to stay in the coolness of his infirmary or venture out at night. Vinatos and his lithe figure settled in next to Ahura after bowing to the family.

An older stout man with puffy cheeks and wide gray eyebrows, entered from the judge’s chambers. His bailiff stood next to the stand. “All rise for the Honorable Judge Ephraim Sharp.”

Everyone stood up, Vinatos reluctantly doing so. He would stand for his king, but did not see why he needed to stand for this human. Once the judge sat, those in attendance also resumed sitting. The stenographer prepared her machine and nodded once she was ready. “The Court calls to order the case of _United States v. Boltagon_ , case number GR736-846-2, in regards to the citizenship status of Anora Boltagon and Daryn Boltagon. Let the record show that the children in question are in attendance.”

Medusa sat back in her seat with her legs crossed, seemingly unfazed by the decorum. Black Bolt folded his hands and rested them on top of the table.

“I’d like to first call to the stand Blackagar Boltagon.”

Black Bolt stood and straightened out his suit jacket. Anora tried to stand also, commenting that she wanted to go with daddy. When Black Bolt sat in the witness box, she waved to him. “Hi, daddy!”

Norm shushed her, but not before the court officials and stenographer chuckled at her. Even the judge grinned in her direction. Black Bolt quickly waved back and motioned for her to sit as a laptop was placed before him. “Let the record show that Mr. Boltagon was provided a computer with which to respond to questions due to his inability to respond verbally,” Judge Sharp began. “Mister Boltagon, please type all your responses on the laptop; your answers will be visible on the monitor next to you.”

Black Bolt nodded, which the judge asked the stenographer to note. The bailiff stepped up to the stand. “Please raise your right hand. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth in this case, so help you God?” Black Bolt nodded, then tapped his answer into the laptop.

“ _I do._ ”

Judge Sharp flipped through some paperwork about the twins and looked for relevant information. “Mister Boltagon, tell the court reasons why you and your wife did not report the birth of your children to the social security office.”

Black Bolt eyed the keyboard, searching for the correct keys. He could use human computers, but his ability to type in English was somewhat stunted. English was his second language, but he was also not used to giving his thoughts without the help of Medusa. Because of that, even when he wrote or typed in Tilan his sentences were oftentimes clunky. It could be argued that “spoken” Tilan was his second language, and English his third.

“ _My wife and I were unaware to do so.”_

Judge Sharp raised his eyebrows. “You claim they were born on American soil; how were they not reported?”

_“ _They were born in the apartment in Union Station. I delivered them both. We did not know babies need identification; our oldest son was 16 years aged when he received his green card._ ” _

“Was a doctor present at their birth?

_“ _No._ ”_

“But they have a doctor, who is here.”

“ _Correct._ ”

“Who else is with you today, Mr. Boltagon?”

“ _My wife, our three children, friends of our family, and the physician of the twins._ ”

Judge Sharp looked out into the gallery at the motley crew of Inhumans and humans filling his courtroom. The twins with their flaming orange hair could only belong to Medusa, while the oldest boy favored his father’s face but mother’s jaw. “What language do your children speak?”

Black Bolt clacked away at the laptop, occasionally glancing at the screen to ensure correct spelling. Homonyms and double-lettered words threw him off at times; Tilan, in an effort to reduce any similar confusion, never used double-letters or homonyms. The only time such a thing occurred was because the word was borrowed from another language.

“ _They speak English, Tilan, and sign to their brother._ ”

Sometimes the twins mixed the grammar of Tilan and English, or vice versa. Tilan did not regularly use the verb _to be_ , so occasionally the twins’ grammar in English borrowed that rule and they accidentally made nouns into verbs. At home they frequently switched between the two languages, sometimes mid-sentence.

“Are they able to read or write?”

Black Bolt looked to Medusa, who quickly shook her head. He gestured to her so she could answer for him.

“They can recognize letters, and know which letters belong to English or to Tilan,” Medusa said. “They are unable to read with any sort of fluency yet. Daryn can write a few letters.”

On Verna’s lap, Daryn looked up at his name but hid behind La-La. He found the judge intimidating.

“We would like to question the twins directly, Mrs. Boltagon.”

Medusa nodded, her braid relaxed. “Anora will probably answer most of your questions, Daryn is somewhat shy.”

Judge Sharp tapped his pen against his stack of paperwork. “We would question them in an adjacent room reserved for children; our child interviewer has worked with plenty of bashful kids. Did you bring their paperwork and any artifacts that prove their birthdate?”

Medusa held up a manilla envelope stuffed with whatever items she could find. She was able to locate the receipt for the additional crib they purchased the day following the twins’ birth, tax forms where they claimed the twins as dependents for that year, a few dated photos. Black Bolt included the photo from his desk of the newborn twins swaddled together in the wicker basket they grew out of in only a few weeks, dated three days after their birth. The only records they had from their actual birthdate were the medical records Vinatos kept.

Judge Sharp flipped through the photos and papers, entering them into the record as evidence. In his own file were the citizenship forms Medusa completed as well as the Affidavit of No Record they scrambled to get notarized. Once the judge reviewed the contents of the envelope, he asked Black Bolt to step down.

“I’d like to call to the stand the twins’ physician,” Judge Sharp barked.

As soon as Vinatos stood to make his way to the stand, Daryn ‘whispered’ to Verna. Since he did not quite understand how to whisper yet, he was still audible to much of the courtroom. “Is the judge man sick? Is Dr. ‘Natos gonna fix him?” Verna gently hushed him, but smiled nonetheless.

Vinatos stepped onto the small platform next to the judge, his tall frame out of place with the short height of the witness stand. He sat with his hands folded, his long index fingers tapping the forearm of the opposite arm. The light gray and black of his medical uniform clashed heavily with the off-white walls of the courtroom, his green skin even more so.

The judge flipped through some of his paperwork, eyeing Vinatos with uncertainty. By far, Vinatos was the most unusual individual to take the stand of his courtroom. “Would you please remove your...goggles? If that’s what they are.”

Vinatos tapped his forearm heavily in annoyance. “I would rather not. The lighting in here is harsh and my eyes take in much more light than a human’s. If you lower the lights I will do so.”

Judge Sharp signaled to one of his officers to dim the lights. The officer lowered them slowly until Vinatos removed his orange eye protection, his huge yellow eyes glinting even in the lower light. While the glasses somewhat concealed Vinatos’ facial expression, the judge could now plainly see the annoyance on his face.

A bailiff stood in front of the witness stand with a large book, holding it in front of Vinatos. “Please place your left hand on the Bible and raise your right hand.”

Vinatos glanced at the book, then to Black Bolt who gave him an exasperated expression suggesting that Vinatos should just follow their directions and get through the interview. He placed his palm on the book with his long index finger touching the elbow of the bailiff; the bailiff looked as though he wanted to be sick for a moment.

“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth in this case, under penalty of perjury, so help you God?”

“I will swear by my king, yes.”

The bailiff glanced at the judge, unsure if this was proper protocol. “Please state your name and occupation.”

“My name is Vinatos; I am the Chief Medical Regent for the Royal Family of New Attilan.”

Judge Sharp leaned back in his chair with his hands folded. “Mister Vinatos, I’ve called you here because you are the most knowledgeable about Inhuman anatomy and development; there are concerns that the birth records for the Boltagon twins are inaccurate.”

“They are accurate. I have overseen all of the Royal Family’s medical history and input all of their data myself. The only medical event I was not directly present for was the birth of the twins.”

“How long have you worked for the Boltagons?”

Vinatos blinked heavily, his third nictitating eyelid closing before the two larger ones. “I’ve _served_ the Royal Family since King Black Bolt was an infant. At the time I was an apprentice and did not become a regent until the Queen’s first pregnancy with Prince Ahura. I became Chief Regent after the death of my predecessor, when Prince Ahura was around three.”

“When did you first examine the twins?”

“They were about four hours old when I gave them their first examination. I have submitted all of my data to the court that I have on each of their examinations.”

The judge looked over a data pad full of Tilan, none of which he could actually read. “I see that; it will have to be translated by someone unrelated to you or the Boltagon family. Until then, can you tell us some of what you wrote on this thing? About the twins.”

Vinatos nodded. “The entry about their first examination is primarily weight and length data; Prince Daryn did not appear on any of my scans while Queen Medusa carried them, thus I was unaware of him until their birth. I say this only because it looks as though there is a discrepancy between my entries during the Queen’s pregnancy and the morning of their birth. Princess Anora was larger than Prince Daryn by over a pound; his smaller weight and position in the womb meant he did not appear on my scans.”

“How common is that for Inhumans? For a twin to not show up like that.”

“Fraternal twins are about one in 5,000 births, though you must remember that our population is very small and we consider a thousand births to be a generation. Unless the fetuses are situated in such a way that we can see them both immediately we rarely check for a second fetus. Identical twins are much more common in Attilan, about one in four hundred births. I had no reason to check for a second infant during my first examination of the Queen.”

The judge sat up in his chair to ensure the stenographer was able to keep up with some of the Attilan jargon. His black robes gave him the appearance of a blob seated at his chair. “All of the submitted paperwork and information says the twins are two years old, but they look much older than two. Is that common for Inhumans also?”

“Very much so. Inhuman infants grow and develop much faster than humans until adolescence, whereupon they slow considerably and almost appear to stop aging entirely by late adolescence. The average lifespan of an Inhuman is 150 years, though some have lived to 200, and we do not consider an Inhuman an adult until the mid thirties. The twins are still considered infants by our standards, and will be considered such until their third birthday.”

Vinatos blinked heavily once again, already exasperated with the questions about basic Inhuman development. Even non-medical Inhumans knew this information, so he felt that he wasted his time answering such trivial questions.

Medusa fanned her hair out behind her, wrapping a lock around Black Bolt’s bicep. Most of the information the judge already knew because Medusa and Black Bolt answered similar questions in the paperwork. To her annoyance, the judge continued asking seemingly pointless questions.

“How can they talk so well if they’re two? Most two year olds can’t speak in complicated phrases like they can.”

“ _Human_ two year olds do not,” Vinatos sighed. “The Prince and Princess are not inferior humans. If I were to compare them to a human child, they are mentally that of a five year old. _Chronologically_ they are just over two, but _physically_ appear closer to a late three year old human.”

The judge paused once again and looked Vinatos over. In truth, Vinatos had little patience for humans; the knowledge that some humans still retained Inhuman DNA helped him tolerate them. He spent little time amongst humans and preferred to remain away from them, he despised Inhumans mating with them, and abhorred them being in the Grand Hall where terrigenesis ceremonies took place. Young Inhumans found Vinatos to be somewhat prejudiced against humans, though Vinatos had his reasons for avoiding them. With his physical appearance, humans tended to overreact.

“Is there something you are looking for?” Vinatos snapped. The judge‘s face read annoyance.

“Not really. You see, Mr. Vinatos, the last time the government of the United States encountered your ’king’ he declared war on us. Yet now he is asking for his children to be considered citizens of our country. I have very little reason to trust him, so you’ll forgive me if I am a little cautious around you all. Does Black Bolt have any ill-intentions towards the United States?”

“No,” Vinatos said without hesitation. “While I do not agree that the King and Queen live amongst humans, their business provides New Attilan an income to sustain our citizens and provide for the Nuhumans that arrive almost daily. I would have preferred that the Prince and Princess were born in New Attilan, but I follow the rule of my King and Queen. There was not enough time to bring the Queen to New Attilan once labor began, thus the King delivered both infants in their apartment.”

“How do I know these children are not merely anchor babies?”

The skin around Vinatos’ eyes, where his eyebrows would be if he had any, furrowed deeply. “I am unfamiliar with that term.”

“It’s what foreigners do to get citizenship here faster. They have a kid here, which is automatically a citizen by law if born on American soil, then take advantage of the system.”

“The King and Queen have no reason to do so,” Vinatos snapped in return. “They provide for their children and much of New Attilan, and do not rely on any sort of assistance that New Attilan does not already provide. Do not insult my King and Queen by implying otherwise.”

The bailiff shifted uncomfortably, unsure if he needed to respond or wait. The knowledge that the Inhumans in the room could easily kill him did not ease his tension whatsoever. Vinatos clasped his hands together once again; typically he stood with his hands behind his back but the chair in which he sat prevented him from doing so.

“Would you be willing to sign an affidavit that your records of the twins’ medical files are accurate? Deliberately falsifying their records could lead to imprisonment,” the judge warned, his chair squeaking from leaning back into it.

“I will sign whatever it is you ask of me, yes.”

The judge handed a stack of papers to the bailiff, who brought them over to the witness stand with a pen. A number of yellow flags were taped on various sheets in the stack. “Sign each of those highlighted spaces with both your signature and in print.”

“I assume you wish me to sign them in your language,” Vinatos quipped without looking at the judge.

“That is correct.”

Vinatos rifled through the stack and scanned the information quickly to ensure the humans were not having him sign information they tampered with. His handwriting in English was not as smooth as in Tilan, and he did not have a proper English signature, so he merely wrote his name twice on each line.

The judge collected the paperwork once again and stuffed them into a Manila envelope. “Thank you, Mr. Vinatos, your cooperation has been appreciated. You are free to step down. Let’s take a short recess while we wait for the Tilan document translations to finish. Court will resume at 1:45.” Judge Sharp slammed the gavel down with an echoing thud and stood from his seat, retreating back into his chambers.

 

* * *

 

When the bailiff announced that court would resume in five minutes, the family filed back into the room. A new person joined them, sitting behind the gallery wall but on the adjacent side. They repeated the process of standing before the judge, then sat once again.

Judge Sharp held a stack of paperwork in his hand, presumably the finished documentation. He set the stack off to the side and cleared his throat, inviting the new man to stand up. “Detective Jordan, are you ready for the children?”

Detective Jordan nodded l. “Yes, Your Honor.” He then turned to Medusa and Black Bolt. “Mister and Misses Boltagon? I’m Detective Levi Jordan and I’ll be interviewing your kids today. We will just be in the next room, through that door, and you’ll be able to see them on the screen there. I have a snack ready for them if they’re hungry.”

Black Bolt gestured for his youngests to stand and walk through the gallery half-door. Excited at the prospect of being part of the proceedings, the twins eagerly clambered to be the first through. Medusa stoped then and bent low so she was around their height. “Listen to mommy, please. Detective Jordan is going to ask you some questions. Be honest, and answer everything he asks you.”

The twins nodded, Daryn tightening his grip on La-La. This would be one of the first times in their lives they were with a complete stranger without mommy or daddy in the same room. Anora held her head high and tugged Daryn’s other hand to follow the detective into the next room.

The interviewer led the twins into an adjacent room with a small table meant for children’s heights. On the table sat three plates of cheddar fish-shaped crackers and two juice boxes. The twins held hands as Jordan led them to the table.

“These are for you if you’re hungry,” Jordan said as he sat in chair much too small for him on the other side of the table. He leaned forward in the chair so he was closer to the twins’ height, picking at his own plate of crackers to show that he was relaxed as well. Daryn sat in the chair slowly, La-La on his lap, while Anora plopped herself into her own chair and examined a cracker. “Do you mind if I ask you some questions while we eat our crackers?”

Anora shrugged, tentatively munching on an orange fish. Neither twin ever encountered juice boxes, so they were unsure what to do with them. “Mommy said it’s okay you ask us stuff.”

“That’s right,” Jordan nodded. “I just want to know a little about you, since you’re my new friends. Is that okay?”

Anora nodded and ate the remainder of her cracker, looking over to Daryn to show that she liked the snack. Daryn stole a single cracker from his own plate and chewed it slowly.

Jordan pulled his chair a little closer to the table. “How about an easy question? What is your name?”

“My name Anora. Him name Daryn.”

“Do you know your last name?”

Anora picked up her juice box and looked it over, understanding that it contained liquid but not how to open it. “Boat-a-gon. How you fix this?”

Jordan held his hand out and removed the tiny straw from the side of the carton, piercing the small foil circle on the top. He did the same with Daryn’s, but Daryn did not immediately go for his juice right away. “There you go. Do you like your juice?”

Anora nodded as she drank, swinging her feet beneath her. “Where your juice?”

“I have coffee in my coffee cup,” Jordan said as he held his cup for Anora to see. “Your mom said you have a big brother, is that right?”

“Yep, his name Hura.”

Daryn cut in, holding his hand high above his head. “Hura really big. Like, he this big. Like daddy.”

“Do you like to play with Hura?”

“Sometimes. Sometimes he don’t want to play with us. But he wrestle with Irelle in his bed.”

“That’s okay, sometimes big people don’t like to have fun.” Jordan grinned at them both and let them eat a few more crackers so they did not feel overwhelmed. “Do you know how old you are?”

“Two.”

“And do you know your birthday?”

Daryn held up three fingers. “April five.”

Jordan forced himself to stifle the giggle that bubbled in his gut. “Did you do anything exciting for your birthday?”

Anora and Daryn glanced at each other, confusion on their faces as if they were not aware they were supposed to have done anything exciting. They shook their heads.

“I didn’t do anything exciting for my birthday either. Do you want some more crackers?”

Anora nodded, though Daryn was yet to finish his first handful. Jordan reached to his right for a box shaped like a milk carton and shook another small pile of crackers onto Anora’s plate. Seeing that there were more, Daryn became less hesitant to eat his own.

“Do you know what your mom’s name is?”

Daryn answered while Anora drank her juice. “Mommy.”

“Right, but what is her name?”

“Mommy?” Daryn looked at Jordan as if it were entirely obvious that Medusa’s name was actually ‘mommy.’

“Okay, then...erm, what do other people call her?”

Daryn held his thumb to his chin and the rest of his fingers outward, signing the word for mom. “Hura do this. But he don’t talk good.”

“Hura talks a little, daddy don’t talk,” Anora added.

“Your Dad doesn’t talk at all?”

“Nope. Mommy said he can’t. Hura don’t talk because he don’t hear nothing.”

Jordan nodded, now understanding the gesture Daryn made. “How do you talk to your dad and Hura?”

Daryn flapped his hand a bit. “They uses their hands.” Seemingly done with answering questions for the moment, Daryn picked up a cracker and placed it against La-La’s mouth as if he were trying to feed his toy, then ate the cracker himself. “La-La likes these fishes.”

“I’m glad La-La likes them,” Jordan agreed. He set his cup on the floor next to him and picked up a notepad with a few notes scribbled on the front. “Do you know what your dad’s name is?”

Anora dramatically leaned back in her chair as if the question annoyed her. “Daddy.”

“Okay, let’s try it a different way. Who is Black Bolt?”

Anora sat up again in her seat. “Daddy. People call him that when him the king. And Flagman call him that. Sometimes grandpa call him Blackagar.”

“Who is Medusa?”

“That mommy when her the queen.”

Jordan grinned widely at his breakthrough. “Now we are on to something! Do you know what your father does for work?”

Daryn paused in feeding La-La and looked to Anora. “Sometimes he the king but usually he work downstairs with Flagman.”

“Night time we don’t go downstairs because mommy said only big people can go,” Anora clarified. “Daddy makes drinks for big people.”

“Like in a bar?” Jordan quickly glanced through his notes again as the twins looked to each other.

 _”What’s a bar?”_ Daryn asked Anora in Tilan. She shrugged. “Can we go see mommy now?”

Jordan looked at his watch and showed it to the twins. “When the little hand points at the two we will be all done. You know, I heard that your dad is the king of the Inhumans. Are you Inhuman?”

“I’m Anora. Him name Daryn.”

“But like I’m human, so your dad is not my king. So are you human or Inhuman?”

“We Inhuman,” Daryn suggested. “But we don’t live in New Attilan. We live in our home.”

“Do you know the difference between humans and Inhumans?”

The twins looked at each other again, unsure how to answer. They knew a few people in their circle were called ‘human’ and others ‘Inhuman,’ but not how to distinguish the two. Their limited interactions with humans meant they did not have anything to base their observations, as the only humans they regularly met with were Norm and Verna.

Daryn reached over to Anora and held her hand for a brief moment. She looked back at Detective Jordan. “Daryn wants mommy.”

“We’re almost done, I promise. Your mom and dad are talking to the judge right now.”

“Daddy don’t talk none.”

Detective Jordan grinned once again. “Okay, so _mom_ is talking to the judge. I think they’re using a computer with your dad.”

“After we done can we see Lockjaw?” Daryn let go of Anora’s hand and hugged La-La close.

“Who’s Lot-jaw?”

“ _Lock_ jaw,” Anora corrected. “He bringed us here. He daddy’s dog but he live with Aunt Crystal because he don’t fit at home. Lockjaw is _huge._ He bigger than daddy.”

Detective Jordan squinted a bit. “How did a dog bring you here? I’m confused.”

“Lockjaw tel’ports. He tel’portsed us here because police people don’t like us leaving New Attilan. Mommy got mad and she yelled at him one time because the police man said no, so now we uses Lockjaw to go places.”

After a few more scribbles, Detective Jordan topped off the crackers one last time. “Has your mom ever talked with you about becoming citizens of the United States?”

“Yep,” Daryn confirmed, nodding. “She said since we borned here we are citizens. But the judge man don’t believe her so he went poof.” Daryn made a tiny explosion gesture with his hands, complete with sound effects.

“What do you mean he ‘went poof’?”

“Like he wanted ebidents. So Doctor ‘natos talked to the judge and give him ebidents.”

“Do you mean he _wants proof_ that you were born here?”

“Maybe,” Daryn shrugged, looking back at the door they entered. “Can we go find mommy now?”

Detective Jordan looked at his watch. “Yeah, I think so. Do you want a bag so you can take your fish with you?”

The twins nodded and pushed their plates across the table, scrambling to be the first one at the door to open it. This particular door had a handle rather than a knob so they could open it easily, however a deadbolt out of their reach secured the door. Jordan handed them each a small snack bag of crackers and undid the deadbolt, slowly opening the door. The twins darted past him and to Medusa at her table in the middle of the court room. “Mommy!”

“Mommy, look! We eated fishes,” Anora squealed, shaking her snack bag. Medusa feigned ignorance, as if she did not just watch the entire interview on a closed circuit television.

“Did you behave for Detective Jordan? Did you answer all his questions?”

Daryn nodded and held his arms up to be set on her lap. “He asked us about you and daddy and where we live. And about Lockjaw. La-La didn’t tell him nothing because La-La don’t talk to big people. But he eated the fishes.”

Black Bolt sat Anora on his lap and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. He could tell she needed a nap, but she was also still excited about the new situation and her snack to show any of her usual fatigue behaviors. Most likely she’d fall asleep as soon as they went home.

Judge Sharp flipped off the switch to the closed circuit screen and asked the family to resume sitting. He cleared his throat.

“After reviewing the artifacts provided to the court, as well as testimony from multiple parties, I see no reason to deny the children citizenship. The provided artifacts will be submitted to the Social Security Administration to generate a birth certificate and social security number for them, whereupon you may obtain passports for them to travel outside New York.”

Medusa smiled and kissed Daryn’s temple. Anora couldn’t care less about the proceedings, as she was more interested in the stationary on the desk and scribbling on the notepad. The judge prepared to slam the gavel down to end the proceedings but stopped himself short.

“One more thing, Mr. Boltagon,” Judge Sharp said, pulling out a very thin file. “I saw that your father applied for a green card. There has been a hold-up with his application that needs correction.”

Black Bolt wanted to flip the table suddenly but remained steadfast.

“Everything is in order except for your father’s last name. Is it Boltagon as well?”

Medusa inwardly sighed in relief, thankful that it was not as big a crisis as that of the twins. “Agon does not have a last name. My husband and I are the first generation to even use last names; generations before us were too few in number to require them.”

Judge Sharp nodded, although he really did not care about the explanation and just wanted to end the proceedings. “Well, he needs one.”

“May we discuss the issue?”

The judge nodded and sat back in his chair, allowing Medusa and Black Bolt to deliberate in Tilan (at least, Medusa speaking Tilan verbally). When they made a decision, Medusa cleared her throat. “We have a name for him. The name Boltagon simply means _heir of Agon_ in Tilan, but to use the same convention for Agon would not be understood in human terms. We know of a common human name convention, and Black Bolt’s grandfather was named Symak, thus Agon’s last name can be _Symakson_.”

Judge Sharp asked that Black Bolt approach the bench and write the name down himself. After doing so, the judge finally slammed the gavel down and exited through his chamber door.  
—-  
Arriving back at the Quiet Room, Flagman brought the family into one of the conference areas. Inside, the extended family waited for news, with Gorgon pacing around the table as if on guard. Karnak sat stock still in a chair, trying to tune out Luna’s chatter with Crystal. Gorgon did not even allow the entire family through the door before demanding answers.

“Well? What did the humans say?”

Medusa let go of Daryn’s hand so the little boy could run around the room and work off his excess energy. Anora slept like a small rock with her head on Black Bolt’s shoulder. “The human judge approved their citizenship. Once we have something called a social security card we will be able to obtain passports for them and travel freely across the border. Until then, we will continue to use Lockjaw if we need to go into New Attilan.”

Gorgon nodded, grinning until his lengthy canine tooth was visible. As soon as he saw Norm and Verna, his grin turned into a wide smile. “And you brought visitors!”

Norm smiled and held his hand out to shake Gorgon’s. “Great to see you again, Gorgon. And Karnak.”

Karnak flashed a rare smile, his hands behind his back. “Thank you for minding the twins this morning.”

“Our pleasure,” Verna said, then squeezed Ahura’s shoulder. “We also got to be with our boy all day.”

Ahura missed much of what she said, but blushed at the affection anyway. He tugged Verna out of the doorway when Flagman appeared behind her, a tray of drinks in his hands.

“My King, my Queen, the staff sent this over to congratulate you on a successful hearing.” Despite the simple bottle of champagne Flagman held, he played it up theatrically. He bowed and set the tray on the table, handing champagne glasses to the adults. Flagman hesitated with the final glass, unsure if Black Bolt would approve him giving Ahura alcohol. Black Bolt nodded, then gestured as if pinching his fingers together. _Only a small amount._

Flagman popped the cork on the bottle, snapping Anora awake. She rubbed her tired eyes, trying to figure out how they made it to the conference room when they were at the courthouse before she fell asleep, but no longer cared when she saw Luna. Anora wriggled to be set down once again to join her brother in chasing Luna around the table.

With the drinks poured, the family relaxed for the first time in what felt like a decade. Even Black Bolt felt lighter than he had in weeks, a huge stressor finally off his shoulders. Without his children’s citizenship status to worry over, everything else felt easier, like he could handle it all. Black Bolt rarely drank his own stock; he tasted most of the drinks on the menu just so he could know what to recommend to patrons, but he seldom drank for pleasure. The last time he drank anything alcoholic was the night Medusa told him she was pregnant with, they assumed, their second child. Karnak did not drink, though he joined the family in Gorgon’s toast to a successful day.

Gorgon managed about two sentences before Medusa’s phone interrupted him. She looked at the screen, curious as to why Mara would call her unexpectedly.

“Hello?”

The panicked voice of Maximus was not who Medusa expected. “Medusa? Mara, she had a fall, come quickly, please!”

“Maximus?”

“She didn’t land on the baby but we need Vinatos,” Maximus relayed quickly, almost as if saying one extremely long word. “There’s so much blood, Medusa, it might be a placental abruption. I don’t...please come quick.”

Medusa set down her glass and grabbed Black Bolt’s bicep. “We are on our way,” she noted over Maximus and his hurried rambling. She quickly barked out instructions for Crystal to call for Lockjaw, then sifted away as soon as Lockjaw was in view.


	11. Chapter 11

Maximus rubbed his tired face, the reflection from the incubator giving him an idea of how disheveled he looked. He _felt_ about a hundred times worse.

Inside the incubator, his daughter’s tiny back hammered up and down rhythmically as she breathed, her paper-thin skin practically translucent from the UV lamp shining on her. Gauze wrapped around her head and covered her underdeveloped eyes, eyes that Maximus saw for a few seconds before she was placed in the incubator and set up on every machine known to Inhumanity. Wires covered much of her skin, tubes threaded from her nose and her mouth. Her ears were uncovered and he tried talking to her, but after a few moments he felt ashamed and stopped.

Mara saw her for a few moments. At least that was something for which he could feel grateful. Vinatos held the baby on Mara’s chest for about fifteen seconds then whisked her away again. Mara only lived for another ten minutes or so, according to Vinatos. Maximus was ushered out of the room as soon as Mara crashed. Blood loss due to hemorrhaging, leading to hypovolemic shock that happened faster than Vinatos could control.

Rather than face that reality, that Maximus was alone once again, he remained seated in front of his newborn and very premature daughter. The incubator was warmed, so he was not allowed to reach inside and touch her but for a minute every few hours lest the heat escape from the tiny chamber. Too much handling and stimulation could cause seizures, Vinatos said. Maximus could touch her with one finger, but could not pet her or hold her hand. She was the equivalent of a human baby born at 33 weeks gestation, old enough that her chances of survival were high but not old enough to survive without round-the-clock care.

Maximus knew in the coming days he would need to make the final decisions about Mara’s funeral, if there would even be one. She had family in England, but Maximus did not know how to contact them. Most Inhumans were cremated due to the lack of space in Attilan; he did not know of any specific instructions Mara had regarding her own death. It was not something he wanted to spend time thinking about. Mara rarely spoke of her family, at any rate. Only her Irish grandmother.

Black Bolt sat down next to Maximus and looked into the incubator at his tiny niece. Her entire body could probably fit in his hand, though if she grew at the typical Inhuman infant rate, that would last about a week or two. Premature inhuman infants were a rarity in Attilan, unless there was some type of accident, so the baby was the only one in the infirmary. Down the hall Agon waited for news of his newest granddaughter, if he even remembered her.

They sat together for an hour, waiting for the next opportunity Maximus had to reach in and touch her. Every time he did he was required to practically bathe to prevent contamination; since he could only touch her for about a minute he almost did not see the point of doing so.

The baby stretched her thin, bowed leg, accompanied by a deep yawn. Her dark yellow hair looked plastered onto her head since she was not ready for a bath yet; a healer rubbed her down with a damp cloth to clean most of the gunk from her skin. She cried while the healer gently scrubbed her, a cry so tiny she could easily be mistaken for a kitten.

Vinatos gave Maximus a list of potential maladies that could happen within the coming days. Maximus felt so overwhelmed by everything he heard very little of it. Even before the baby’s sudden arrival he could feel himself mentally slipping. He hadn’t taken his medication for nearly a month, with sporadic days that he remembered to do so scattered throughout.

He knew he wasn’t fit to be a father. Nothing about him suggested he could raise her or take care of her. She wasn’t even legitimate, which would only bring her shame if she were under his care.

Maximus touched the plexiglass cover to the incubator and let the warmth seep into his palm. “Mara never told me her name. I don’t know what to call her. We talked about a few but never settled on one that I know of. I had an idea to name her after Father since you named Daryn after our mother.”

Black Bolt squeezed Maximus’ shoulder briefly. The feminine equivalent of Agon, _Ona_ , was a fine name. Ona Boltagon. It suited her, even though she clearly favored Rynda’s line.

That wasn’t what Vinatos called her, however. He told Black Bolt and Medusa that Mara already gave the baby a name before she passed, but he was hesitant to enter the name into the birth records. He wanted to ensure the baby survived, first and foremost, then he could worry about inputting such data.

“I can’t take care of her, brother.”

Black Bolt sat straight up in his chair and gave Maximus an alarmed look, as if to ask what Maximus was implying.

“I’m not fit to raise her, Black Bolt. You and I both know she would not fare well under me. She would be better off with someone else. Someone who could raise her properly, not a madman.”

Maximus sighed deeply, withdrawing his hand from the incubator. His grip on reality was loosening, he could feel it slipping away by the minute, and he needed to make this decision now while he was still coherent. He loved the baby too much to keep her.

“I’m forfeiting my claim to her,” Maximus continued, barreling over Black Bolt’s attempts to gesture at him. “Vinatos knows already. Take care of her, brother, but please don’t tell her of her parentage. She doesn’t deserve to be persecuted on behalf of my name.”

Maximus stood suddenly, nudging his chair out of the way, and shoved Black Bolt’s hands away as he head toward the door. He needed to go, now, before he changed his mind.

Medusa nearly dropped her phone as Maximus flew past her. She just finished talking with Verna about what to feed the twins for supper, then Anora wanted to ask about the baby. Daryn said the baby could borrow La-La until she felt better, but then she would have to give the toy back. Medusa was too stunned to try and stop Maximus, who disappeared down the hallway and out of the infirmary before Black Bolt could tell her to stop him.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Medusa looked into the incubator to see if the baby was in any type of distress and, seeing none, looked back into the hallway.

 _Maximus renounced his claim to her,_ Black Bolt sighed as he rubbed both temples. _He wants us to raise her._

Medusa stood stock-still, her grip tightening on her phone. “Blackagar, you know we can’t.”

 _I know, I know,_ he shot back.

“We don’t have the space let alone time to care for three infants and a teenager, one of whom will need extensive medical care in the coming days, and with Agon still in the infirmary-“

 _Medusa, stop. Give me a moment to think._ He paced in front of the incubator, trying to stave off the headache brewing behind his eyeballs. _Who else is there to take her in? Any Inhuman we approached would reject the idea as soon as we told them who her father is._

They argued back and forth for well over an hour when Vinatos stepped into the room to run through his list of vital signs to check. In the roughly six hours since her birth, the baby dropped down to exactly three pounds. Since she had not learned the sucking reflex yet, he had to thread a tiny feeding tube through her nose so she should start gaining weight rapidly over the coming days. “My Lady, might I offer a suggestion?”

Medusa nodded, pocketing her phone once again.

“I’ve run a sample of her cord blood to determine if there are any genetic abnormalities, and like her father, her genetics do not suggest she will acquire any power through Terrigenesis.”

“At least initially.”

“Exactly. Why not allow a human family to adopt her? She may grow at about the same rate as an Inhuman, but otherwise she would live as humans do.”

Medusa looked to Black Bolt, her eyebrows raised. “Few humans know about Maximus, and the only ones who do are...”. She trailed off momentarily, then reached into the pocket of her dress again for her phone. “I’ll be right back.”

 

* * *

 

  
Lockjaw sifted into the hallway outside the Grand Hall, accompanied by the remainder of the Boltagon family as well as Norm and Verna Adams. As promised, Daryn brought La-La so he could give his toy to the new baby until she was ready to go home. Anora carried a few pictures the twins drew so the baby would have something to look at throughout the day, similar to the way they papered Agon’s room down the hall. It didn’t matter that the baby had gauze covering her eyes; according to Anora the baby could see them anyway because she said so.

The twins were only allowed to look into the incubator, no touching allowed. They did not look for very long; Anora found her to be boring since the baby slept the entire time and Daryn found all the medical equipment scary. Ahura took them down the hall to find Lockjaw once again, leaving Norm and Verna in the room alone with Black Bolt and Medusa.

“Look at her, Norm,” Verna cooed.

“I’ve never seen a baby this small,” replied Norm, peering into the incubator. The baby yawned once again, causing the gauze on her head to minutely shift. “What’d they name her?”

Black Bolt ran through the conversation with Maximus earlier, coupled with the follow-up from Vinatos. _Maximus wanted to call her Ona, after our father. Mara wanted to name her Maeve, according to Vinatos._

“Both names are beautiful. Which one are you going with?” Verna set La-La next to the head of the incubator and the stack of pictures on an adjacent table. When Medusa did not answer right away, she stood up once again. “Medusa?”

“We were hoping that you would name her.”

Norm and Verna looked to each other, then to the Boltagons, absolutely speechless.

Medusa clasped her hands together. “Maximus is unfit to be her father, and as she will most likely not acquire any sort of powers, we believe her best option is to be raised as human. She will be free from the Boltagon name and all related responsibility, if you were to take her in. It would also ensure her safety; Maximus has many enemies, and she would be far more safe with a different family name. Black Bolt and I realize that we are asking much of you, and unexpectedly, so we will provide for her financially until she is of age.”

Norm rubbed his chin, straightening out his salt-and-pepper beard. This was too much information to process at the moment. “Can you...can we talk about it? This is all a lot to take in at once.”

“Of course,” Medusa said. She stepped out of the way and towards the door, tugging Black Bolt along with her. Vinatos entered at the same time, practically running into Medusa. He bowed deeply and apologized, then went to the incubator where Norm and Verna whispered back and forth to one another. He had an idea.

“I was going to run a few tests on her reflexes, particularly her feeding reflex. Would you like to hold her while I do so? It may prompt her to suckle if she lays on her back.”

Verna bit her lip, then nodded slowly. Vinatos asked her to sit with a sterilized gown covering her chest, then called in one of his assistants to help prepare the baby for movement. They wrapped her tightly in a blanket, primarily for warmth but also to ensure none of the wires attached to her tiny body fell off. He set her on Verna’s chest then lay another blanket across them.

The baby squeaked and whimpered from the move, then settled as soon as Verna snuggled her. “Oh my goodness,” Verna whispered, trying to keep tears from falling down her face. “Shh, you’re okay, sweetie, I’ve got you.”

Norm sat next to his wife and helped the assistant place a tiny cap on the baby’s head. With the cap, the only visible skin was the baby’s jaw and microscopic fingers poking out of the blanket.

“She seems like more of a Maeve to me,” Verna cooed aloud.

And in just a few minutes, it was settled.

 

* * *

 

  
The day Norm and Verna were to take baby Maeve home occurred about two weeks after they first met. During that time they scrambled to prepare their new apartment for their new daughter, eventually employing Ahura to help them shuffle around furniture so Norm could continue going to work during the day. Ahura used multiple astral ghosts to help carry heavier items, a feat he discovered only a few weeks ago, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted at the end of the day. Medusa suggested they move closer to Union Station in case something were to happen with Maeve and also so Maximus did not know where they lived. Black Bolt was concerned that if Maximus were to return and knew humans adopted her, he would do something drastic.

Once the Adams agreed to adopt baby Maeve, they had a number of logistical items to deal with. To prevent the same immigration difficulties as the twins, Norm suggested they let them register Maeve as a home birth with the social security office. They waited until the day she went home to put down the final weight, as a baby born at only three pounds would not survive without medical intervention; such a small weight for a home birth would be next to impossible without complication.

She left weighing a little less than six pounds, which was still rather small, but since she mastered the suck-swallow-breathe reflex she put on weight seemingly overnight. It was as if she ignored all of the medical procedures Vinatos did in favor of Norm or Verna snuggling her. The gauze was removed after two days, the feeding tube after a week. During the times Norm or Verna held her she ate more, stayed awake for longer, and squeaked at everything she saw. As the days progressed, she was able to spend more time out of the incubator until she was upgraded to a warmed bassinet. Verna spent the most time with her, borrowing Medusa’s rocking chair from the twins’ room and telling her about the new apartment.

Just for posterity, Vinatos entered “Ona Boltagon” on all of her medical data while she was still in the infirmary. The closest practice Inhumans had to a religion was essentially ancestor worship, so lineage was extremely important. Nearly every Inhuman could recite their lineage back through multiple generations.

As soon as Maeve was cleared to go home, the twins wanted to see her outside of all the scary equipment. They were not allowed to hold her yet, or touch her face, so Medusa let them pet her blanket. Daryn used La-La to give her a kiss before he took his toy back home, citing La-La as the reason she got better so quickly.

There was one more stop to make before they left with Maeve. Black Bolt took her down the hall to see Agon and explain the situation, as he did multiple times over the past two weeks. Agon’s short-term memory was improving slowly, and Black Bolt noted he did ask about Maeve unprompted a few times in the previous days.

Black Bolt raised the top half of the bed and helped situate a few pillows under Agon’s “bad” arm to hold the baby. He could move his arm but did not have much strength in it, at least not enough to hold the baby upright. With his good arm he could play with her fingers or stroke her little cheek.

Medusa lay Maeve across the pillows and tightened up her blanket once again. Agon spent a solid five minutes just looking at his newest granddaughter, noting her square Boltagon jaw.

As soon as he peeked at her hair, however, tears formed at his eyes. Black Bolt moved to take the baby back in case something was wrong but Agon waved him away.

“Rynda,” Agon said, gently pulling the cap from her head so he could show Black Bolt what he meant. The deep blonde hair, now that it was clean, looked exactly like Rynda’s. Blonde hair that Agon never expected to see again, covering his youngest granddaughter’s head in patches.

Maeve scrunched her feet and let out a frustrated mewl, her lips puckering. From a newly acquired diaper bag, Verna dug out a clean bottle and a formula mixture Vinatos created that was similar to the milk of an Inhuman mother. Since Maeve learned to eat, she could put back a small bottle in a few minutes. She gave the bottle to Agon and sat back in her seat, holding Norm’s hand as she did so. He bent low and kissed the back of her hand.

Medusa sat next to Verna so they could chat amongst themselves while Black Bolt helped Agon feed the baby. “She’s been yours for two weeks and you already know all of her cries.”

Verna chuckled at herself. “Honestly, I didn’t even notice; she just seems to fit in with us so naturally.”

“You know,” Medusa said, choosing her words carefully, “Inhumans never believed in gods, but we are strong believers in fate. We often name our children for the power we hope they possess once they go through Terrigenesis, which is why some of our names are...oh, I don’t know the human phrase. Like Triton’s name being traditionally about the sea and his powers are water-based, or Crystal being elemental when a crystal is element-based.”

“‘On the nose’?”

“On the nose. That isn’t true all the time, but I still believe that Fate had something to do with bringing you into our lives. You are as much a part of our family as our blood-relatives.”

Verna smiled at Medusa and nudged her with her shoulder. “The Lord had a reason for bringing us together, that’s for certain.”

On the bed, Black Bolt set the baby upright so Agon could pat her back and help her belch. Maeve had no control over her neck just yet, but she eyed Agon intensely. “Baby girl,” Agon cooed. His speech was now largely coherent, albeit slower than beforehand. “You grandfather’s girl? You are?”

Verna and Medusa continued their conversation. “We have her room ready, Pope has worked hard the past few days. The rest of the apartment is a disaster but it’ll get there. And my mother threw us a little get-together, so I’m sure Maeve’s wardrobe is complete until she’s at least ten years old. My mom’s so excited to be a grandma, you know.”

“I’m sure she is; Agon has made the comment on more than one occasion that being a grandparent is far different than a parent. Hopefully you’ve come up with a reason for why her grandparents are about 70 years apart in age, or why her paternal grandfather is 130 years old.”

Norm shook his head. “We’ve tried to come up with something over the past few weeks but we figured there will be plenty of time until we have to explain that one. The one we are stumped on is explaining why she is growing so fast. With Pope we were kinda lucky; he grew up fast but we moved once when he was with us so it was easy to just start over. With Maeve we might have more explaining to do.”

“We’ve also debated telling her about her birth parents,” Verna continued.

The thought sat heavy on Medusa and Black Bolt’s hearts the past few days. Mara died from complications related to Maeve’s birth, and Maximus had a criminal record longer than most novels. Maeve would be powerless, and if she knew of her Inhumanity and understood what it meant then she would only know shame.

“I think it’s best she does not know she is Inhuman,” Medusa sighed. “We are more than happy to be in her life, and we want to be. Black Bolt and I will see that she never wants, and I hope my children will love having a new playmate when she’s old enough. But... knowing that she is Inhuman and the horrible things her father has done would be devastating for her.”

Maeve squeaked once again, flexing her fingers and toes. When Daryn was this tiny, he found his fingers fascinating. Around five months his fascination moved to his feet and he laughed at his own toes when he wiggled them. Maeve managed to bring her fingers to her mouth only once, and figured out she can suck on her fingers. She tried to do the same with Norm’s finger when he played with her cheek once.

With Maeve fed and content Agon held her until she dozed off again, whereupon Verna suggested they take her home. Ahura was with the twins, and it was close to their bedtime. Agon kissed the ends of his fingertips then placed them on the baby’s forehead, allowing Black Bolt to bundle her up and give her to Norm.

“Ready to go home, little girl? Mommy and Daddy can’t wait to show you the new place,” Norm practically sang, rocking back and forth. Verna gathered the diaper bag and followed Medusa down the hall to find Lockjaw, who would take them all to the new apartment. Medusa wanted to ensure the Adams had everything they needed for the next few days while they adjusted to the new baby.

Their new apartment certainly looked disheveled, with boxes scattered about both opened and unopened. Gift bags sporadically dotted the floor, some with new items from a store and others with donated items. Humans required so much to raise infants; Medusa would be remiss to say she found that aspect of humans irksome. But Maeve would be raised by humans, so Medusa had to bite her tongue. Based on the lack of receipts, it appeared most of the items were donated.

“Welcome home, little girl,” Norm said to the sleeping baby. “Sorry it’s such a mess; we’ve got the large furniture in place but still working on the boxes. Want to see her room?”

Medusa followed them down a hallway, peeking into the adjacent rooms so she knew the layout. In the room with a bed, a tall bassinet lined against the wall where Maeve would sleep for the next few weeks.

Maeve’s new room smelled of fresh paint, but not overwhelmingly so. The pale yellow walls were soothing, and Medusa smiled at the framed pictures her children scribbled that lined the walls. Included was the “huge” leaf Anora found at the beach.

“We didn’t really have time to come up with a theme for her room, so we went with yellow,” Verna explained sounding a bit nervous, as if she wanted to meet Medusa’s approval.

Medusa smiled at her. “It’s perfect. Welcome home, Maeve.”


End file.
